In a sensational case of extortion related to false allegations of money laundering, the Cuffe Parade Police has arrested a key accused from Bikaner, Rajasthan. The arrested accused threatened a retired Navy officer by saying that his documents were used in the money laundering case registered against former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik.The accused, identified as Ugraram Dharmaram Godara (35), was taken into custody and remanded to police custody by the court.
Earlier, two other individuals—Mujammil Liaqat Ali Sheikh and Anil Rajkumar Sharma—were detained in the same case but later released after being served notices.
The case dates back to 24th December 2024, when a 54-year-old retired Navy officer, while at work, received a suspicious call from an unknown person claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Delhi. The caller accused the officer of being involved in anti-national activities, stating that his Aadhaar and other personal documents had been misused in an illegal manner and linked him to Nawab Malik in a money laundering case involving crores of rupees sent abroad.
Following this, the victim received a video call from two individuals impersonating police officials—one identifying as Inspector Gopesh Kumar and the other as DCP Rajveer. Dressed in police uniforms, they created a convincing appearance of being genuine officers from Delhi Police.
The fake officers claimed that the officer would be digitally arrested soon and would be unreachable within two hours as his mobile phone services would be shut down. They warned him against informing anyone, including family members, and said an arrest warrant had already been issued against him. To “revoke” the warrant and “cooperate” in the investigation, the officer was asked to transfer money.
Fearing consequences, the officer transferred approximately Rs 1.25 lakh online. He was told the amount would be refunded once the inquiry concluded. After reaching home, he confided in his wife and a close friend, who immediately suspected a cyber fraud and advised him to lodge a police complaint.
Based on the complaint filed with the Cuffe Parade Police, a case was registered under sections related to extortion, fraud, impersonation, and relevant IT Act provisions. During the probe, police traced Mujammil Sheikh and Anil Sharma to Bikaner, Rajasthan, and took them into custody.
It was revealed that both individuals had handed over the extorted amount to Ugraram Godara and his associate, Pramod Godara alias Bishnoi. Police identified Ugraram and Pramod as the masterminds behind the operation and launched a special manhunt.
After being on the run for three months, Ugraram Godara was finally nabbed from Bikaner. Efforts are ongoing to arrest other involved individuals, including Pramod.