Mokokchung Police arrest man in INR 3 crore cyber fraud involving forged court orders and fake police documents.
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MOKOKCHUNG — Mokokchung Police have arrested a man in connection with a cyber fraud case involving forged judicial documents and financial losses exceeding INR 3 crore, officials said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Anupam Kumar Singh, a resident of Siwan in Bihar, presently living in Laitumkhrah, Shillong, was apprehended on February 20, following an investigation into a deceptive email containing a counterfeit court order purportedly issued by the ‘Judicial Magistrate First Class, Mokokchung.’
The case originated from a complaint filed by a staff member of Mokokchung District Court, who flagged the suspicious email. The fraudulent document bore bogus seals, stamps and signatures. Court officials confirmed that no such designation as Judicial Magistrate First Class exists in Mokokchung, establishing that the order was fabricated.
After verification, Mokokchung Police registered a case on January 14 invoking Sections 319(2)/338 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act.
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Investigators employed technical forensics, call detail record analysis and scrutiny of banking transactions to trace the suspect to Shillong. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by SDPO (HQ) Aekant Jain and OC PS-I Vikeheto Kennao secured a warrant from the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mokokchung, before proceeding to Meghalaya.
With assistance from the Superintendent of Police, East Khasi Hills, and SP Shillong (City), the team arrested the accused.
Police said further investigation revealed an elaborate scheme in which the accused allegedly created and circulated forged police reports purportedly issued by OC PS-II Mokokchung, along with fake court orders carrying counterfeit seals and signatures. He is also accused of exploiting a legitimate government email address to mislead banks into freezing accounts of innocent individuals and subsequently directing the transfer of those funds into mule accounts under his control.
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Initial assessment indicates that victims suffered losses exceeding INR 3 crore.
Singh has been brought to Mokokchung and remains in police custody. Police said further investigation is underway to identify possible accomplices, trace the financial trail and attempt recovery of the funds.
Mokokchung Police reiterated their commitment to tackling cyber offences and urged the public and banking institutions to verify the authenticity of any communication involving alleged court orders or police instructions through official channels before acting on them. Similar suspicious cases should be reported to the police without delay.
The superintendent of police, Mokokchung, commended the SIT for what was described as coordinated and professional execution of the operation.