Kochi, Oct 19 A man allegedly involved in a gang that cheated a retired judge in Rajasthan of Rs 2.5 crore by threatening to place him under digital arrest was arrested near here, police said on Monday.
The arrested man was identified as Anand Babu, a resident of Mannamthuruthu in Varapuzha.
The accused allegedly told the retired judge that he was linked to hawala transactions related to the Pulwama case and threatened to have him arrested in connection with it, police said.
A police team from Rajasthan arrived in Kochi and sought assistance from Ernakulam Central Assistant Commissioner of Police Siby Tom.
In a coordinated operation, the accused was subsequently arrested from Varapuzha, officials said.
Rajasthan Police informed their Keralam counterparts that more people from the state were suspected to be involved in the case, officials said.
The team that assisted Rajasthan Police comprised Sub-Inspectors Anoop C, Harish and E M Shaji, Assistant Sub-Inspector Sunil Jalil, and Senior Civil Police Officers Harish Babu, Vibin and Shijith.
The accused was later taken to Rajasthan for further investigation, officials added.
A digital arrest is a cyber fraud in which scammers posing as police or government officials falsely link victims to criminal cases and threaten them with arrest. They keep victims on video calls for hours or days and force them to transfer money under the pretext of verifying their bank accounts.
(PTI News)
