Surat: The Cyber Crime Cell in Surat has apprehended three individuals, including a national-level basketball player, for their alleged involvement in a widespread digital arrest scam. The arrested suspects — Raju Parmar, Kishan Patel, and Paramveer Singh Tank — were traced and taken into custody from Bhavnagar.

The investigation began after a senior citizen filed a complaint, alleging that he had been duped of ₹16.65 lakh. The accused had impersonated officials from the Delhi Police and other central agencies, falsely claiming that the victim’s name was linked to a ₹2.5 crore money laundering case. The victim was placed under what is known as a “digital arrest” and coerced into transferring the funds.

According to preliminary findings, Raju Parmar allegedly leased out his bank account to Kishan Patel for financial gain. Patel, in turn, provided access to both his and Parmar’s bank accounts to Paramveer. Notably, Paramveer — who played for the Under-19 national basketball team for six consecutive years — is believed to have been drawn into the scam by financial temptation.

Authorities seized 30 debit cards, chequebooks, bank passbooks, and ₹1 lakh in cash from the accused. The confiscated bank materials included accounts from Bhavnagar District Cooperative Bank, IndusInd Bank, Canara Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Saurashtra Gramin Bank, South Indian Bank, Axis Bank, and Bank of Baroda. Police also recovered four mobile phones.

The trio is suspected to be involved in at least 40 digital arrest scam cases reported across the country. The investigation is currently ongoing. DeshGujarat