A man suspected to be behind a digital arrest scam, where a city doctor was held hostage over the phone for three days and then cheated out of ₹80 lakh, has been arrested.

According to police, a group of men called the doctor posing as employees of a courier company and then as officers of Mumbai police over “his involvement” in a money laundering case related to the probe against Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal.

Scared, Rajat Bandopadhyay did what he was asked to avert his “digital arrest” and ended up paying ₹80 lakh to the cheats, the police said.

According to the police, a 27-year-old man from Rajasthan who was taken into custody on Tuesday is suspected to be one of the racket’s masterminds.

Mohammad Amir, a resident of Lodhipura in Rajasthan, was involved in the fraudulent use of Aadhaar cards to open mule accounts where the siphoned amount was transferred.

“The complainant, a doctor by profession, had received a call in September last year. The caller had introduced himself as a courier company official who had called to inform him that a courier booked in the name of the doctor had been intercepted, containing objectionable articles and that Mumbai police were looking for him,” said an officer of Bidhannagar police.

The phone was then transferred to another caller who introduced himself as a senior officer of Mumbai police, who informed the doctor that his name had emerged as an accused in a purported investigation into Naresh Goyal’s financial dealings.

“The men told the doctor he was under digital arrest and that if he wanted legal relief, he should immediately transfer money to the bank accounts they gave him. The doctor ended up transferring ₹80 lakh to the accounts provided by the callers,” said an officer of Bidhannagar police.

The matter was reported to the Narayanpur police station under the Bidhannagar police commissionerate.

The detective department of Bidhannagar police took charge of the case and made the arrest.

Amir was produced before a court in Rajasthan on Tuesday. He is being brought to Calcutta on transit remand.

Several Calcuttans, especially elderly citizens, have fallen prey to the hoax of digital arrest in the recent past.

“In most cases, people are scared that their children would be harmed or that their reputation would be soiled if they are arrested. Hence, they do what the fraudsters tell them over the phone or video call,” said a senior police officer attached to the cyber wing of Bidhannagar police.