'Digital arrest' scam: Russian national acting as gang's 'gatekeeper' held in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: A Russian national was arrested by Gujarat police in connection with a 'digital arrest' case in which a man was duped of Rs 17 lakh, an official said on Thursday.

Anatoly Mironov, a resident of Orenburg city in Russia, used to work as a "gatekeeper" for a gang run by a Chinese national and helped in transferring the proceeds of crime into various accounts and converting some of it into cryptocurrency, a release of Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Cell said.

A "gatekeeper" is a middleman hired by international cyber criminals to keep a watch on bank account holders who are hired to receive proceeds of crime, and help in transferring those funds into the gang's bank accounts, explained Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime) Hardik Makadia.

"Since Mironov, who entered India on a tourist visa last year, was behind bars in a similar case of cheating in Maharashtra's Pune, the Cyber Crime Cell took his custody from a jail there through a production warrant and brought him here on Thursday," Makadia said.

The probe began after a city-based businessman approached the Cyber Crime Cell in October claiming some persons posing as Customs and police officials had kept him under 'digital arrest' and extorted Rs 17 lakh.

The victim was told by the fraudsters that a parcel in his name, having fake passports, ATM cards and drugs, had been seized by Customs, the release said.

"The account into which the victim transferred Rs 17 lakh belonged to Mahefulalam Shah. An agent named Nadim Pathan, who was in touch with the gang, had convinced Shah to give his account on rent for this activity. After their arrest, we learnt about the role of Mironov," said Makadia.

"After the victim transferred Rs 17 lakh in Shah's bank account, Miranov had called both of them to a hotel in Mumbai where the Russian national transferred the amount to other accounts, including cryptocurrency, as per the orders of his Chinese boss," said Makadia.

At that time, some other bank account holders and their agents were also called to the hotel by Miranov for the same purpose, the ACP said.

"Mironov acted like a gate-keeper who keeps an eye on agents as well as bank account holders. He then carries out transactions as directed by the gang leaders, who are sitting outside India," Makadia said.