Varanasi: Cyber Gang Caught After Cheating Retired Man of ₹1.10 Crore
Varanasi police have arrested three men who cheated a retired government employee of ₹1.10 crore through a fake “digital arrest” scam. The victim, Mahesh Prasad, who lives in Yash Bihar Colony in Lathiya, got a shocking call from someone pretending to be a CBI officer.
The fake officer claimed that Mahesh’s bank account was involved in a ₹538 crore money laundering case linked to a man named Naresh Goyal. To scare him, they even sent him a photo of a fake ATM card with his name and warned that he could be arrested.
The fraudster convinced Mahesh that to avoid arrest, he needed to transfer ₹1.10 crore for investigation purposes. In fear and confusion, Mahesh sent the money through RTGS.
Later, when he realised he had been cheated, Mahesh approached the Cyber Crime Police in Varanasi. The police acted quickly and arrested the main accused and two others on July 13, 2025. The arrested men are Sumit Gupta from Gorakhpur, Utkarsh Verma from Lakhimpur Kheri, and Arvind Kumar Verma from Gautam Buddha Nagar.
During the raid, police recovered ₹70,000 in cash, 8 mobile phones, 13 SIM cards, 7 ATM cards, 4 passbooks, and a chequebook. The gang was booked under sections of the BNS Act related to fraud and impersonation.
This case is a reminder to never trust unknown callers, even if they claim to be from the police or CBI. Always double-check with authorities before taking any action.
