Wayanad: The Wayanad Cyber Police have arrested Sreeram Bishnoi (28), a native of Bikaner, Rajasthan, for siphoning off ₹5 lakh from an IT employee in Padinjarathara in August 2024, after threatening him that he would be put under "virtual arrest". 

The cyber police team discovered that the gang was operating from the border towns of Nokha and Gulsarbara in Rajasthan near the Pakistan border, after tracking mobile phones and other digital devices used by the suspects.

According to officials, Bishnoi had allegedly threatened the victim that a warrant had been issued against him, claiming that huge loans had been taken in his name from multiple banks using forged documents. The victim was threatened with a "virtual arrest" and instructed to transfer money to an account to avoid it. The accused also took advantage of a pre-approved loan in the victim’s name, got it sanctioned, and transferred the funds to his own account.

Following the incident, the victim realised that he had been cheated and lodged a complaint through the cyber portal, after which a case was registered at Padinjarathara Police Station. During the investigation, the team traced the suspects to Nokha village, near the Pakistan border in Bikaner district, Rajasthan.

On a covert operation led by Inspector Shaju Joseph, the team arrested Sreeram Bishnoi from his residence and seized the digital devices used to transfer funds from the victim’s bank account.

The accused was produced before a court in Bikaner, which issued a transit warrant. He was then brought to Wayanad and presented before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Mananthavadi, on Saturday. Bishnoi has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

Other members of the Cyber police team include  Assistant Sub Inspector Haris P P, Senior Civil Police Officers Salam K A and Sreenath P V (Padinjarathara Police Station), and Civil Police Officer Jison George.