Ahmedabad, Apr 16 (IANS): The Ahmedabad Police's Cybercrime Branch apprehended 13 individuals and dismantled an extortion ring that defrauded a complainant of over Rs 1.15 crore, officials said on Monday.
According to police, on March 20, the criminals, posing as employees of couriers firm FedEx, falsely accused the complainant of shipping illegal items, including MDMA drugs, from Mumbai to Taiwan. They also sent a forged Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) warrant via Skype to the complainant.
"Employing a combination of technical and human intelligence, the Cybercrime Branch identified and apprehended 13 individuals linked to this scheme. The suspects were located across various cities, including Rajkot, Dhoraji, Kutiana, and Upaleta, where four separate teams conducted coordinated raids," officials said.
The main suspect, identified as Moin Altaf Nao, was in custody and remanded for six days. Efforts are ongoing to recover the defrauded money. During the operations, 14 mobile phones were seized, instrumental in orchestrating the fraud, they added.
The accused are believed to have conned numerous individuals across different states, showcasing a pattern of widespread criminal activity. Each arrested individual faces severe charges as investigations continue to unearth further details of their operations, officials said.
The arrested suspects include Mihir Ramnikbhai Topiya, 23, a trader from Dhoraji, Rajkot City; Ankit Bhalabhai Desai, 29, a broker from Ahmedabad City; Prakril Lovejibhai Valani, 43, employed in wage work from Dhoraji, Rajkot; Ronak Hareshbhai Sojitra, 23, a student from Rajkot; Kiran Amathabhai Desai, from Ahmedabad City; Kisha Polabhai Bharai, 45, involved in animal husbandry from Porbandar; Merubhai Bawanbhai Karamata, 24, an agriculturist from Kutiana, Porbandar; Magirajsinh Divyarajsinh Jadeja, unemployed, from Rajkot; Ravi Savseta, 26, a driver from Rajkot; Rohan Prahaladbhai Leuva, 26, employed, from Ahmedabad City; Grahin Jitubhai Wapela, 24, a driver from Dhoraji, Rajkot; Sagar Ramerabhai Dabhi, 31, from Rajkot and Moin Altafbhai Ingaria, 26, a trader from Dhoraji, Rajkot.