The WhatsApp video call told Praveen Kumar Talukdar that he was suspected of money laundering and terrorism-related activities. The callers said they were police and officers of the National Investigation Agency. They threatened legal action and arrest, according to his complaint, and used that fear to pressure him into sending money.
Nagpur police say the call was one thread in a wider cyberfraud network, allegedly run from Rajasthan, whose members coordinated from Hong Kong and Dubai. Seven suspects have now been arrested in separate cases involving impersonation, investment scams and misuse of banking documents. These are police accounts of allegations, and the accused have yet to answer them in court.
Why the NIA’s name carries weight
The choice of agency is not random. The NIA is India’s principal counterterrorism investigative body. Parliament created it under the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks that year, and it was formally constituted on 20 January 2009. It has nationwide jurisdiction over scheduled offences such as terrorism and terrorist financing, can take over investigations from state police with central government approval, and since a 2019 amendment can investigate certain offences committed outside India. Its headquarters are in New Delhi.
A threat in that name is meant to frighten, and to stop the victim from checking anything.
The money trail
Three suspects, identified as Ravi, Rajveer and Arvind, were arrested in connection with the Talukdar complaint.
The investment-fraud strand is larger. One complainant allegedly made 33 separate transactions, sending approximately ₹2.87 crore. Investigators traced the money through 38 bank accounts. Police arrested Mohan Darsande in Beed, and Bhupendra Jain and Yogesh Jain from Borivali, Mumbai. Officers are now examining how the funds moved and whether others connected with the investment operation were involved.
AI voices and a forged letterhead
A separate case relied on technology. Fraudsters allegedly used an AI-generated voice and photograph to pose as someone known to the family of Nikhil, a resident of the Ubhar area. They contacted his father, claimed an emergency and demanded ₹50 lakh. Police arrested 29-year-old Netram Chadar from Indore.
In another case, a suspect allegedly posed as an employee of a motor company and used a forged letterhead to arrange an RTGS transfer of ₹9.50 lakh. Police arrested 36-year-old Durgakumar Bhagat Bahadur from Kanpur.
Investigators are going through the suspects’ financial transactions and digital communications. They are also checking whether handlers in Hong Kong and Dubai directed activity linked to the arrested men, officials said. How far the network extends is still open.
Sources
- Seven Arrested in Cyber Fraud Cases Involving Fake Police and NIA Officials – The 420.in
- National Investigation Agency
- Supreme Court Upholds Khurram Parvez’s Bail, Dismisses NIA Plea In UAPA Terror Funding Case | Supreme Court Upholds Khurram Parvezâs Bail, Dismisses NIA Plea In UAPA Terror Funding Case
- Kochi Synagogue Arson case; NIA takes over
- Supreme Court rejects NIA challenge to Khuram Parvez's bail
- Police investigation chief walks back 'not common sense' remark on Han Dong-hoon's daughter's laptop donation
Photo: Pulakit Singh (CC BY-SA 4.0)
