Naresh Malhotra,78, has spent nearly three decades in senior positions with government and private banks. He received a random call on August 1. The call aimed at recent fraud Digital Arrest prevalent these days. During the call, he was told that his phone number is being used for terror funding. He could be “bailed out” by the RBI and Supreme Court once funds were dispatched in surety. The funds would be returned in due course.
Between 4 August and 4 September, he made a total of 21 visits. He completed 21 RTGS transfers to 16 bank accounts. These transfers totalled 22.92 Cr. The banks included branches of Yes Bank, Indusind Bank, ICICI Bank, Union Bank, and Axis Bank. Transfers were made to various parts of the nation.
Matters took a turn when after being defrauded of Rs 22.92 Cr. On September 19, scammers demanded another Rs 5 Cr from a private company in West Bengal. He resisted the transfer to this private company. He also threatened to go to the Registrar of Supreme Court instead of depositing in some private company. Malhotra had withdrawn Rs 9.68 Cr from Central Bank, Rs 8.34 Cr from HDFC Bank and Rs.4.90 Cr from Kotak Mahindra bank.
Naresh Malhotra opens up on trauma faced
“It is as if I was possessed. I had lost all my senses. The scammers completely took over my thinking process,” Malhotra said.
From just 21 transactions in 16 bank branches, Malhotra’s money was splintered in seven layers via 4,236 transactions (till date). Rajneesh Gupta is the Joint Commissioner of the IFSO (Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations) Branch of the Delhi Police. According to him, such “layering” of stolen funds in a “digital arrest’’ case is not uncommon. “We have seen money move in as many as 20 layers. The golden hour of immediately reporting the losses was lost in the case. This makes nabbing the scammers and freezing the funds difficult,” he said.
Three days after the FIR was filed on September 19, Malhotra recalled the traumatic experience beginning August 1. He was told by a random caller that his identity had been used for terror-funding. He could only be “bailed out” by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Supreme Court. This was possible once funds were dispatched as surety. These funds would be returned to him in due course.
Now surrounded by family and friends, Malhotra had kept them all in the dark all these days. “Throughout these six weeks, the scammers had control. Even my petty withdrawals for daily expenses and staff salary had to be approved by them. They had taken over my life…,” he said.
How to safeguard from cyber arrest?
Department of Telecom has an application called,’ Sanchar Saathi’. You can enter your credentials on it and check for fraudulent usage of your Aadhaar card. See if your name is being used by any other number and report it. It is better to report the mobile number than to ignore the call. Reporting is critical to raise a red flag against suspicious calls. This action brings them under scrutiny.
If three people report the number, then it is automatically blocked. If 10 people report the number, then the IMEI in use is blocked.
The application also allows user to report if the call is from an international number. Victims of cyber frauds should report the matter immediately. They can do this by calling the toll free number 1930 on the cyber-crime portal. “The faster the matter is reported, the better it is.”
In March this year, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) said: “There is no concept of digital arrest under any Indian law.” Always verify the identity of the caller or sender before taking any action. Contact the nearest police station directly to verify the identity. Speak to your acquaintances before making any money transfer. Report cyber frauds immediately at http://www.cybercrime.gov.in or by calling 1930.
For all latest updates Follow theviralmail on X, Facebook, and Instagram
