Nagpur, India- Three fraudsters posing as officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) duped an Amazon employee of Rs 2.32 crore after summoning him for questioning over nearly two months.

The victim, Ashay Avinash Palliwar (24), a resident of Laxmi Nagar, works as a senior official with Amazon. On April 21, 2024, the fraudsters contacted Ashay, pretending to be conducting a CBI investigation. They falsely accused him of sending prohibited items abroad and initiated a fake investigation, instructing him to keep his Skype app's camera on continuously.

Ashay was digitally "arrested" for 24 hours and forced into surrendering all funds from his bank accounts, as well as gold, silver, jewellery, and even his parents' savings. The total amount seized was Rs 2.32 crore. The accused, identified as Sumer Singh Jagmal Singh (45) from Khirja, Jodhpur; Prakash Meghnani from Jawahar Park, Jaipur; and Dalpat Singh Dhasingh (22) from Dhokalsar, Sekhala, Jodhpur, stayed at Hotel Kanhaiya Inn and Hotel Renuka Inn. They deceived Ashay by presenting forged documents to support their false identities as CBI officials, according to police.

They managed to seize assets including 1,800 grams of gold, 1 kg of silver, and Rs 67 lakh in cash, totalling Rs 2,32,99,582 from Ashay, until June 19, 2024. The Cyber Police Station has registered a case under Sections 384, 419, 420, 465, 470, 471, 506, 170, and 120(b) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Sections 66(c) and 66(d) of the IT Act.

Following an investigation by Crime Branch Unit No 2, Sumer Singh Jagmal Singh was arrested in Mumbai after being identified as a key accomplice. He confessed to the involvement of Prakash Meghnani and Dalpat Singh Dhasingh in the fraud. The police have frozen 24 bank accounts associated with the accused. The arrest was made under the guidance of DCP Detection Nimit Goyal.