Authorities in Uttarakhand have arrested multiple suspects in two separate cyber fraud cases that defrauded victims of large sums of money. The arrests, officials say, highlight how online deception is expanding across India, from romance scams to the newly emerging tactic of “digital arrest.”
A Businessman Targeted in Dehradun
The Uttarakhand Special Task Force, in coordination with the state cyber crime unit, arrested a 27-year-old man from Himachal Pradesh on Friday for allegedly duping a Dehradun businessman of ₹50 lakh last December. Police identified the accused as Himanshu Shivhare, a native of Morena, Madhya Pradesh. At the time of his arrest, Shivhare was employed at a paper mill in Himachal Pradesh. Investigators tracked him using digital footprints, including bank transactions, before taking him into custody. DSP Ankush Mishra of the state cyber crime unit confirmed that the victim was a 58-year-old resident of Dehradun who was approached between November and December last year.
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A Romance Scam Disguised as a Foreign Connection
According to police, Shivhare and his associates first made contact through a social media platform, posing as a “foreign woman.” The complainant was later engaged over WhatsApp, phone calls, and SMS messages.
The fraudsters built a narrative that the woman was traveling to India with gifts. They later claimed she had been detained at the airport, and that customs duty, Reserve Bank of India fees, and other charges were needed to secure her release.
Trusting the story, the businessman complied with multiple payment requests, ultimately transferring ₹50 lakh. Police said he only realized later that he had been duped. One accused in the case had been arrested earlier, and efforts are continuing to trace other associates.
A Second Case: The Digital Arrest Scheme
In a separate case, the STF and cyber crime unit apprehended two men from Delhi in connection with a “digital arrest” scam that targeted a retired vice-chancellor of a Uttar Pradesh-based university. The fraud, carried out in August, cost the victim ₹1.4 crore.
Police said the woman involved was allegedly kept under “digital arrest” for 12 days. One suspect in this case had already been arrested on August 31.
The Arrests in Delhi
On Friday, officials detained two additional suspects, Mohd Saifi, 24, and Mohd Ansari, 23, from a guest house in Delhi. They were brought to Dehradun the next day and produced in court, which ordered them to jail.
DSP Mishra confirmed that the arrests were part of an ongoing effort to dismantle organized cyber crime networks, which increasingly rely on fabricated narratives to trap victims into transferring large sums of money.
