New Delhi: In a shocking case of familial fraud, Delhi Police’s Cyber Cell has arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly embezzling Rs 26.32 lakh from his father’s bank account over a span of four months. The accused, Shivam Sharma, a BA graduate and former BPO employee, was taken into custody on October 25 following a detailed investigation led by Inspector Subhash Chandra under the supervision of ACP Anil Sharma.
Police said they recovered 100 grams of gold and froze Rs 3 lakh in Sharma’s HDFC Bank account. The victim, a 68-year-old former parking operator at Azadpur Mandi, had limited digital literacy and had entrusted his stepson with managing his financial transactions. Exploiting this trust, Shivam allegedly orchestrated a calculated digital fraud.
On March 23, while his father was attending the funeral of his first wife, Shivam reportedly stole the SIM card linked to the bank account. He then created a fake UPI ID, purchased gold coins via Amazon and Flipkart, and hid them in a wall-mounted almirah. He also routed approximately Rs 6 lakh through cyber café operators, offering them commissions of up to 10 per cent. To cover his tracks, he later destroyed the SIM card and his mobile phone.
In a further act of deception, Shivam assisted his father in filing a cybercrime complaint, feigning ignorance of the fraud. Investigators believe the motive was rooted in family resentment, as Shivam, born of his father’s second marriage, felt sidelined after the family’s parking business was handed over to his elder stepbrother.
Initially denying the allegations, Shivam eventually confessed during interrogation, leading to the recovery of stolen assets. Police said the case underscores the growing link between domestic disputes and cyber-enabled financial crimes. Further investigation is ongoing.
(Inputs from IANS)