Senior citizen duped of Rs 15.4 crore in ‘digital arrest’ scam; two held

Belagavi: In a breakthrough in a high-value cyberfraud case, Belagavi City Cyber Crime police have arrested two persons from Hyderabad for allegedly siphoning off Rs 15.4 crore from a senior citizen through a ‘digital arrest' scam.The complainant, Ajit Gopalakrishna Saraf, a resident of Tilakwadi in Belagavi, was targeted by fraudsters impersonating as officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). One of the callers identified himself as K Subramanyam, falsely claiming to be the agency's director.The accused allegedly told Saraf that two Sim cards registered in his name were being misused and that he was under investigation for links with Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal. Using this fabricated claim, they threatened him with legal action and coerced him into transferring large sums of money.Police investigations revealed that between Feb 7 and March 9, 2026, a total of Rs 15.4 crore was transferred through RTGS transactions. Of this, Rs 25 lakh was routed from Saraf's Canara Bank account to an account linked to the accused, while Rs 5 lakh was allegedly siphoned off as commission through money-laundering channels.Based on technical and financial trail analysis, police identified the accused as Venkadoth Sharath Nayak and Degavath Sripad Nayak, both residents of Hyderabad. Further investigation revealed that Rs 2 crore was credited to their joint IndusInd Bank account on Feb 9.The duo was arrested in Hyderabad on April 6 and produced before a court on April 7. Police said the accused were initially non-cooperative during questioning.The case was registered at the Belagavi City Cyber Crime police station on March 18 under Sections 318(4), 319(2) and 111(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.The operation was carried out under the guidance of ACP BS Mantur. Cyber Crime inspector Shreeshail Gabi, PSI Suman Pawar and other officers played a key role in the investigation. City police commissioner Bhushan Borase appreciated the team's efforts. Further investigation into the money trail and possible involvement of others is underway.