Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Aug 11: Goa police have arrested a man from Kerala for allegedly defrauding a resident of Rs 1.05 crore in a "digital arrest" scam. The accused, identified as Gokul Prakash MK, was apprehended in Kannur on August 7.

Prakash is accused of impersonating a law enforcement official and falsely accusing the victim, a resident of Quepem, of being involved in a money laundering case. He reportedly showed the victim a fake arrest warrant and threatened him, coercing him into transferring Rs 1.05 crore through multiple bank transactions.

According to Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Rahul Gupta, a police team traced Prakash to Kerala. A subsequent investigation found that Rs 24 lakh of the stolen money was deposited into an ICICI Bank account belonging to the accused. This account has been linked to 13 criminal cases across 10 states, with a total of more than Rs 9.02 crore in fraudulent transactions.

A case was registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station on July 9 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. Prakash is currently in police custody as the investigation continues.