Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Cyber Crime Police Station, Goa, has arrested a 45-year-old man from Satara, Maharashtra, in connection with a “digital arrest” cyber fraud case involving ₹14 lakh.
According to police, the offence was registered on January 27, 2026, under Crime No. 04/2026 based on a complaint filed by a resident of Caranzalem, Goa. The case has been booked under Sections 318(4), 319(2) read with 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act.
Police said that between January 14 and January 22, 2026, the accused and his associates allegedly contacted the complainant through multiple Signal App accounts while impersonating Enforcement Directorate (ED) and CBI officers.
The fraudsters allegedly told the complainant that a SIM card, Aadhaar details and an ATM card issued in her name were linked to a human trafficking case in Bengaluru. Using fear and intimidation, the accused reportedly placed the complainant under a so-called “digital house arrest” and coerced her into transferring ₹14 lakh through RTGS transactions to an Axis Bank account.
Following a detailed technical investigation, a police team led by PSI Mandar Gaonkar along with PC Mahesh Naik and PC Santaram Narse traced the suspect to Shirwal in Khandala taluka of Satara district, Maharashtra. The team arrested Yogesh Kantilal Shah, 45, a resident of Khandala.
During the probe, police found that the accused had allegedly received the entire ₹14 lakh in his bank account before routing the funds to multiple accounts linked to associates. Further investigation revealed that the same account was connected to other cyber fraud cases in West Bengal and Goa involving a cumulative fraud amount of ₹65.50 lakh.
The accused was produced before the court and police custody was obtained. Further investigation is being conducted by LPI Anushka Pai Bir under the supervision of ASP B.V. Sridevi and overall supervision of SP Cyber Crime Raju Raut Desai.
