Rajkot: It has come to light that the main perpetrators in the digital arrest fraud case targeting a senior citizen from the city have been operating from Cambodia.

The case involves Mahendrabhai Andarjibhai Mehta, a 71-year-old retired bank manager from Rajkot who fell victim to a digital arrest scam. Fraudsters claimed that the money in Mehta’s account was connected to money-laundering activities and coerced him into transfeeing Rs 56 lakh to different bank accounts. Later, when Mehta approached the Cybercrime Police, Police Inspector B.B. Jadeja of the Cybercrime unit formed specialized teams to investigate the bank accounts and mobile numbers involved in the complaint. As a result, the police detained a total of eight individuals: Mahek and Hiren from Junagadh, Kalpesh Chaudhary, Paresh Chaudhary, and Vipul Desai from Banaskantha, Rizwan Pathan and Vipul Nayak from Ahmedabad, and Harshil Panchani from Surat. Statements from all of the accused are currently being recorded.

PI Jadeja informed the media that “these suspects appear to be mere intermediaries, with the primary perpetrators operating from Cambodia. The arrested individuals allegedly allowed their mobile numbers and account details to be used for the fraud.”

“Of the Rs 56 lakh extorted from the senior citizen, Rs 50 lakh was transferred to Odisha and Rs 6 lakh to Mumbai,”the police inspector added. All suspects will be presented in court today for remand.

Mehta, who resides in Rajkot’s Hasanwadi area, revealed to the media that he was mentally distressed after being digitally arrested for 15 days. He admitted that thoughts of suicide crossed his mind multiple times, as he was overwhelmed by the realization that, despite being educated, he had fallen victim to the scam. “I was in a situation where I couldn’t tell anyone, and my ability to think clearly was severely affected,” he stated. DeshGujarat