Three held in Ujjain for duping woman of Rs 5.09 lakh under 'digital arrest'

Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 2 (ANI): Three persons, including a woman, were arrested in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain district for allegedly duping a 50-year-old woman of Rs 5.09 lakh by keeping her under "digital arrest" for nearly 40 hours, police said on Tuesday.
The accused were identified as Rajesh Jat (25), Balram Jat (32), and Yukti Bairagi (25), all residents of Ratlam district. Police also recovered nearly Rs 3 lakh in cash and three mobile phones used in the crime from them.
According to officials, the complainant, Saroj Mali, received a call on August 12 from the accused posing as Crime Branch officials. She was threatened with arrest and falsely accused of being involved in the illegal tortoise trade. The accused allegedly confined her to a "digital arrest" between August 12 and August 14, during which they extorted Rs 5,09,000 from her.
Based on a complaint lodged by the woman, a case was registered at Birlagram police station, and an investigation was initiated.
Ujjain Superintendent of Police Pradeep Sharma told ANI, "A 50-year-old woman was duped of Rs 5.09 lakh by three accused who kept her in 'digital arrest' for around 40 hours. She was threatened in the name of an illegal tortoise trade. Upon receiving information, police took immediate action and arrested the three accused. Nearly Rs 3 lakh cash and mobile phones were recovered."
Police said that Rs 1 lakh each was seized from Rajesh and Yukti, while Rs 89,000 was recovered from Balram. Further interrogation is underway to trace the remaining amount and check whether the accused were involved in similar offences elsewhere. (ANI)