Ahmedabad, Aug 18 (IANS) The Cyber Crime Branch of Ahmedabad has arrested Kinjal Shah, who allegedly lured a man to Bangkok under the pretext of a job, only to involve him in a cyber fraud racket.

Kinjal Shah, who runs a visa office in Vadodara, was reportedly in contact with Abhishek Singh in Dubai, a key operative claiming to be an Information Technology (IT) company employee.

According to the police, Kinjal Shah promised the victim a job in Bangkok and instructed him to communicate with Abhishek via video calls for work permits and visas.

Abhishek, posing as an IT professional, conducted interviews over video calls with other Chinese associates to build trust. Once convinced, the victim was called to Bangkok on a tourist visa, where he was asked to take selfies with strangers at the airport and hand over his passport.

The victim’s passport was seized, and he was illegally taken across the Thai border into Myanmar, first by trekking 15–20 kilometres through forests and then by car, and boat before being brought to the K.K. Park area. There, he was allegedly trained in cyber fraud for 33 days and prevented from returning to India unless a payment of Rs 3.5 lakh was made.

The victim’s uncle in India made the payment through multiple UPI accounts, after which the passport was returned and the victim safely returned to India. Police said Abhishek Singh, a former banker, is currently working for a Chinese gang based in Dubai.

Kinjal Shah reportedly planned to send three individuals as part of the operation.

Authorities also warned of multiple social media advertisements run by Chinese gangs to recruit unsuspecting victims.

ACP Hardik Makadia of Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch confirmed the arrest and said the investigation is ongoing.

Another case in Mandvi, Kutch district, involved a 35-year-old man who was cheated of Rs 65,000 by a gang of extortionists posing as police officers.

The victim, Kanti Bhudia, was lured under the pretext of hiring masonry workers and was subsequently blackmailed by the fake officers.

In a more severe case, a honey trap led to suicide by a businessman in Kutch. The accused, Manisha Goswami, allegedly masterminded a scheme that resulted in the victim’s death, highlighting the extreme consequences of such fraudulent activities.

–IANS

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