CCB arrests five for cheating bizman of Rs 37.5L

Bengaluru: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Bengaluru police has arrested five people for allegedly cheating a city-based businessman out of Rs 37.5 lakh.

According to the police, the suspects promised the victim a share of Rs 15 lakh crore, which they falsely claimed to have received after selling an antique copper bowl to a foreign company.

The arrested people have been identified as Inayathulla, 50, Zakir, 36, Prathik, 35, Umesh, 31, and Sukeerthi, 41.

The police said the victim filed a complaint with the CCB on November 22, 2024.

In his statement, he mentioned that he had suffered business losses and was in urgent need of funds when the suspects — two of whom were known to him — approached him with their fraudulent scheme.

The suspects convinced the victim that Rs 15 lakh crore had been transferred to them, but it was stuck with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) due to pending tariffs. They claimed that the money could be accessed once the necessary payments were made.

To gain his trust, the suspects provided the victim with fake documents and even made him travel to Delhi under the pretence of facilitating the RBI transaction.

Believing their story, he transferred Rs 37.5 lakh in multiple transactions before realising he had been deceived.

The Organised Crime Wing (OCW) of the CCB launched an investigation and arrested the suspects. The police recovered two fake RBI-authorised files, five mobile phones, Rs 1 lakh in cash, and seized two cars.