Karnataka elderly couple cyber fraud suicide: Gujarat man in police net
The Karnataka Police Monday informed they have arrested a man from Gujarat for the suicide of an elderly couple in Belagavi last month.
The accused has been identified as Chirag Jeevaraj Bhai Lakkad, a resident of Surat.
On March 27, Diogjeron Nazareth, 83, and his wife, Flaviana Nazareth, 78, were found dead at their residence. Diogjeron Nazareth had left a suicide note stating he was defrauded by cyber criminals disguised as Mumbai Crime Branch officials. Diogjeron Nazareth transferred Rs 59.63 lakh to 22 bank accounts across multiple states after the cybercriminals informed him that a SIM card had been purchased in his name and was being misused for harassment and illegal activities.
A police officer, who is part of the probe, said: “Of many transactions made, in one RTGS transaction, Rs 6,10,000 was sent to a bank account where the bank account holder name was Balaji Industries. However, so far, we do not see any registered firm holding the bank account.”
“Lakkad had a SIM card linked to Balaji Industries’ bank account, and from there, the money was transferred to two other accounts via net banking. It looks like he is part of a bigger nexus and was working for a commission. After the probe, we have handed him over to judicial custody,” the police officer added.
Diogjeron Nazareth worked at the Secretariat in Mumbai, and after retirement, he shifted to Bidi village in Belagavi. The deceased couple did not have children.
The police said Diogjeron had borrowed Rs 5 lakh from two friends, Rs 50,000 from a priest, and taken a gold loan of Rs 7.15 lakh, purportedly to transfer money to the cybercriminals.
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