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He
does not know much about computer hacking, yet 51-year-old cyber
criminal Pranab Mitra has stunned even the cyber
crime investigation cell of Mumbai police with his
bizarre fraud on the Net. Mitra, a former executive of Gujarat
Ambuja
Cement, was arrested on Monday for posing as a woman and
seducing online an Abu Dhabi-based man, |
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thereby
managing to extort Rs 96 lakh from him. Investigating officer,
Assistant Commissioner of Police, J.S. Sodi, said Mitra has
been remanded to police custody till June 24, and has been
booked for cheating, impersonation, blackmail and extortion
under sections 420, 465, 467, 471, 474 of the IPC, read with
the newly formed Information Technology Act.
Mitra
posed as a woman, Rita Basu, and created a fake e-mail ID
through which he contacted one V.R. Ninawe. According to the
FIR, Mitra trapped Ninawe in a ‘‘cyber-relationship’’
sending emotional messages and indulging in online sex
since June 2002.Later, Mitra sent an e-mail that
‘‘she would commit suicide’’ if Ninawe ended the
relationship. He also gave him ‘‘another friend Ruchira
Sengupta’s’’ e-mail ID which was in fact his second
bogus address. When Ninawe mailed at the other ID he was
shocked to learn that Mitra had died. Then Mitra began the
emotional blackmail by calling up Abu Dhabi to say that police
here were searching for Ninawe. Ninawe panicked on hearing the
news and asked Mitra to arrange for a good advocate for his
defence. Ninawe
even deposited a few lakh in the bank as advocate fees. Mitra
even sent e-mails as high court and police officials to extort
more money. Ninawe finally came down to Mumbai to lodge a
police case. |