Surat man held for cyberfraud that made elderly Karnataka couple end their lives

BELAGAVI: Over a fortnight after an elderly couple from Belagavi district died by suicide in a case of digital arrest in which they transferred nearly Rs 60 lakh, a 30-year-old man was arrested from Gujarat's Surat on Monday evening.

According to Belagavi police, Chirag Jeevarajbhai Lakkad has been remanded in 14-day judicial custody.

See more: 'Slit neck with sickle, jumped into water tank': Harassed for 3 months, threatened with digital arrest; elderly Karnataka couple ends life

Police said they tracked him down to Gujarat based on his mobile number linked to his private bank account and suspect he's just a link in a wider cyber-bullying network.

A senior retired Maharashtra govt official, Diego Santan Nazareth, 83, and wife, Flaviana, 80, from Christian Galli of Beedi in Khanapur taluk of Belagavi district ended life on March 27 after two unidentified men started harassing them through phone calls and forced them to transfer money to them in a three-month digital arrest. Nazareth had left a note detailing the torture.

Police suspect bigger racket behind arrested cybercrook
In a note, Nazareth detailed the torture and harassment he and his wife underwent from online fraudsters claiming to be telecom officials. The fraudsters allegedly accused the couple of misusing their mobile sim card to commit criminal activities.

According to Belagavi superintendent of police Bhimashankar Guled, investigations revealed that Diego had transferred nearly Rs 60 lakh to cybercriminals. The arrested accused had received Rs 6.1 lakh into his IDFC Bank account from the SBI Bank account of the deceased through bank transfer. Later, Lakkad allegedly transferred the money to various other accounts. Based on the mobile number linked to the bank account, police joined the dots and arrested him. Police have also seized two mobile phones from him.

Investigation officer Veeresh Dodamani, DSP, CEN police station, arrested the accused and produced him before the court. "We are suspecting a bigger racket behind it, and the investigation will continue in this regard," SP Guled said.



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