Social media influencer Rohan Jadhav has been arrested in Pune for allegedly playing a key role in a digital arrest fraud that duped an elderly man of more than Rs 10 crore a few months ago. According to an NDTV report, Jadhav surrendered before a court after police froze all his bank accounts and other financial sources.
The incident reportedly took place in January this year, when a group of fraudsters allegedly posed as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers and contacted the elderly man. They told him that he was accused in a case and threatened him with a “digital arrest”. Under the pretext of avoiding legal action, the fraudsters allegedly asked him to transfer Rs 10.74 crore to different bank accounts. The victim approached the police after realising that he had been defrauded.
Pune Police tracked down the accused after one of them allegedly withdrew money from an ATM. The NDTV report further said that three other accused named Harshad Subhash Dhantole, Samarth Suresh Deshmukh and Amar Shivaji Attargi were also arrested.
During the investigation, Dhantole allegedly revealed that he had handed over the withdrawn money to Jadhav, who was on the run at the time. Meanwhile, Jadhav allegedly transferred the defrauded Rs 10.74 crore through a total of 5,436 bank accounts. The investigation also found that he was in contact with individuals in Hong Kong through Telegram and frequently spoke with them over video calls.
Who Is Rohan Jadhav?
Rohan Jadhav, a 26-year-old social media influencer, has been active on Instagram since 2022 and has created a large number of reels. He is a BSc graduate and is originally from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, according to media reports.
Jadhav was also involved in celebrity management, officials told NDTV. Two cases have been registered against Jadhav, one in Pune and another in Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Police said Jadhav conducted financial transactions with his alleged Hong Kong handlers using cryptocurrency and received substantial commissions for transferring money from India into foreign currency.
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