Chennai, October 3: In a 'Fedex courier' scam, a 72-year old retired engineer was duped of Rs 4.67 crore and a 13-member gang has been arrested in this connection, police said on Thursday.

A probe has revealed that the criminal gang in order to avoid detection had sent the proceeds of crime through hawala to foreign countries and had received equivalent amount in cryptocurrencies. ‘Beware of Digital Arrest Scam’: DoT Advises Users To Protect Themselves From Scammers Pretending To Be TRAI Officials; Here’s How.

The senior citizen, a resident of Abiramapuram here transferred Rs 4.67 crore to the bank accounts of fraudsters after he was placed under 'digital arrest.' He was duped that Customs had seized a 'Fedex parcel,' linked to his Aadhar number, that had narcotics and other illegal items. He was also told that he should appear before Mumbai cyber crime for probe within 2 hours. He was made to believe that he would be let off if he cooperated. He was falsely assured that the amount would be sent to his account following 'RBI' verification. ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam in Lucknow: Doctor Duped of INR 48 Lakh in Uttar Pradesh, Case Registered.

The term digital arrest, denotes duress and coercion, wherein the victim is criminally intimidated to be available on video call till they transfer money. Special cyber crime teams, following sustained investigation, arrested the 13-member gang and seized Rs 53 lakh cash, mobile phones, cheque books, ATM cards and laptops. The accused were produced before a court here and later lodged in the Puzhal Central Prison.

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