Chennai man arrested for duping Navi Mumbai resident of Rs 21 lakh in Income Tax scam

The Maharashtra police have arrested a man from Chennai for allegedly cheating a Navi Mumbai resident of more than Rs 21 lakh by threatening him with Income Tax Department’s action, an official said on Friday, PTI reported.

The accused, identified as Lokesh Kumar, according to reports, the accused had targeted the victim between August 6 and 11 this year. Kumar allegedly contacted the victim, claiming to be from the Income Tax Department. He informed the victim that his bank account, opened in Nagpur, was under scrutiny due to unusually high transactions. Furthermore, Kumar falsely stated that illegal parcels were being sent to Canada using the victim's name. Under the threat of imminent action by the Income Tax Department, the victim, fearing arrest, succumbed to the pressure and paid a total of Rs 21.22 lakh across different bank accounts provided by Kumar.

Realizing the deception, the victim reported the incident to the police, leading to the registration of a case against the accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention), along with provisions of the Information Technology Act back in August.

Swift action was taken by the police, who froze all bank accounts where the victim's money had been transferred. Presently, the combined sum in these accounts amounts to Rs 18,80,317. Through meticulous technical analysis, the police successfully traced the accused to Chennai, culminating in his arrest. Authorities suspect the involvement of additional individuals in this elaborate scam, indicating ongoing investigations into the matter.