New Delhi: The Delhi Police have arrested three people who allegedly duped Bollywood actress Isha Sharvani by pretending to be Australian Tax officers, officials said on Thursday.
The police said the accused had threatened Sharvani with arrest for tax violations if she failed to pay up.
The actress who now lives in Perth, Austraila was induced to transfer 5,700 AUD (around Rs 3 lakh) via Western Union and RIA Money Transfer, the police said.
The accused - Bhanuj Berry (24), Puneet Chadha (34) and Rishad Khanna (23) were arrested by the Cyber Crime Unit (CyPAD).
Sharvani is an Indian contemporary dancer and actress. She has also featured in several Bollywood movies like Kisna and Luck By Chance.
The accused were nabbed after the police sought details from the Western Union and RIA Money Transfer about the recipient of the money paid by Sharvani.
According to the police, the accused operated from a fake call centre in Vikaspuri and have duped more than 100 people living in Australia by posing to be Australian Tax officials. They made VoIP calls and used number spoofing software for displaying Australian numbers. They also spoke in fluent Australian English accent.
In her complaint, Sharvani alleged that she received calls from someone who claimed to be calling on behalf of the Australian Tax Office.
The calling number that was displayed on her phone was of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, Deputy Commissioner of Police (CyPAD) Anyesh Roy said.
The caller claimed that there was a problem with her tax returns due to which the Australian government had issued a warrant for her immediate arrest, the officer said.
The caller claimed that the only way to avoid arrest was to pay up the remaining amount immediately to the remittance officer of the Australian Tax Office of the India Branch, the officer said.
Police said the accused also obtained details of her tax accountant, including her phone number.
Sharvani received a call from a person who claimed to be from the accountant's office and was asked to transfer the money. The person stayed on call with her for more than three hours until the transaction was done, the officer added.
Several bank accounts of the accused having over Rs one crore have been frozen, the police said.
