Team Goemkarponn
OLD GOA: In a significant breakthrough in a cyber fraud case, Old Goa Police have arrested a man from Kolkata for allegedly duping a 71-year-old retired individual of ₹3.13 lakh through a phishing scam conducted over WhatsApp.
The case was registered on June 5 under Crime No. 81/2025 at Old Goa Police Station under Section 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act, following a complaint by the senior citizen residing in St. Cruz, Tiswadi.
According to police, the victim received a video call on May 30, allegedly from a person claiming to be “Mr. Dipak Agarwal” of the Bank of Baroda. The caller falsely offered a free shopping benefit on the victim’s credit card as a gesture for retired bank employees. During the call, the victim was tricked into sharing his CVV and OTP details, which led to an unauthorized withdrawal of ₹3,13,000 from his bank account.
An investigation team led by the Superintendent of Police, North Goa, Rahul Gupta, launched a detailed technical analysis. This led to the identification of the accused, Suman Ghughu, a resident of Kolkata, West Bengal. Authorities revealed that the stolen funds had been swiftly transferred across multiple bank accounts in an attempt to conceal the trail.
Following requisite permissions from district authorities, a team from Old Goa Police proceeded to West Bengal and placed the accused under surveillance for two days. On June 27, with assistance from Netaji Nagar Police Station in Kolkata, Ghughu was apprehended. During initial questioning, he reportedly gave evasive answers and denied any involvement, despite digital evidence suggesting otherwise.
The accused was presented before the A.C.J.M. Court in Alipore, which granted a three-day transit remand. He has since been brought to Goa and formally arrested at Old Goa Police Station after following due legal procedures and Supreme Court guidelines.
He is scheduled to be produced before the Hon’ble JMFC Court, Merces, on June 30.
Police confirmed that further investigation is underway to trace the origin of the fraudulent network, recover the defrauded amount, and identify other members possibly involved in the scam.
