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Indian-origin suspects arrested in multi-state elder fraud probe
They are accused of extorting money from a Columbia County woman, accusing her of accessing child pornography
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Fri, 10, Apr 2026
- 03:25 EDT
- 19
Representative image / IANS
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office arrested Bakersfield, California, residents Simranjeet Singh and Vaibhav Sharma on charges of attempted theft and presented them in Columbia County Circuit Court on April 7.
Twenty-two-year-old Singh and 23-year-old Sharma are accused of pressuring a Columbia County woman into handing over a large amount of cash in a scam that investigators say spiraled from a compromised cellphone to a courier pickup in Columbus, according to a report by WKOW News.
The investigation into the incident began after a family member of the victim contacted police alleging that the senior citizen had been defrauded and was being pressured to send more money.
ALSO READ: NY police arrest Tushar Sharma for $200k fraud
The duo allegedly convinced the victim that there were fraudulent charges on her account after she accessed malware. She was then redirected from her bank’s real phone number to a co-conspirator’s number posing as an employee.
The scammers reportedly accused her of accessing child pornography on her device and told her that she needed to pay to resolve the issue.
The victim proceeded to hand over an undisclosed amount of money, between $10,000 and $100,000.
After she had paid once, the scammers tried to extort more money. After police were tipped off by the victim’s relative, they arranged for a controlled cash delivery in Columbus.
After the exchange took place, the suspects were stopped by police and arrested without incident.
Both Singh and Sharma are charged with attempted theft by false representation involving $10,000 to $100,000, with an elderly person as the victim. They are being held in custody on a $12,500 cash bond.
Investigators said evidence recovered in the case suggests there may be victims in several states. The investigation remains ongoing, and more charges are possible.
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