An Indian student was arrested in the US after he allegedly tried to scam a 78-year-old woman by pretending to be a law enforcement officer, officials said on Monday.
The arrested person was identified as 21-year-old Kishan Kumar Singh.
“The victim has told her bank accounts were compromised and was pressured into withdrawing a large amount of money for ‘safekeeping’, read a release issued by the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrested Singh when he showed up to collect the package as a “federal agent”.
“He’s now in the Guilford County Detention Center under a $1 million bond, facing felony charges, including Attempted Obtaining Property by False Pretenses and Exploitation of an Elder Adult,” the statement said.
Ohio
According to local media reports, Singh has been living in the Cincinnati, Ohio, on a student visa since 2024.
Guilford County Sheriff’s Office alerted that people should contact the local law enforcement agency if they receive a suspicious call or think they might be the target of a scam.
“The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office will never call you asking for money,” the statement said.
Two other Indian students arrested
Two Indian citizens on student visas were arrested for scamming an elderly person, American officials said late last month.
The two arrested individuals were identified as 24-year-old Mahammadilham Vahora and 24-year-old Hajiali Vahora.
According to officials, they were attending East-West University in Chicago, Illinois.
Sharing details about the incident, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement: “In October 2024, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Regional Communications Center received information from an elderly citizen who stated they had been a victim of a scamming phone call. The victim said the scammer claimed to be a ‘government agent’ and made multiple threats to the victim.”
“Consequently, the victim sent money via a cryptocurrency ATM and purchased gold, which was given to the suspects in person,” the statement said.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division Financial Crimes Unit initiated an investigation into the incident and, through cellphone tower record tracing, was able to identify and locate two suspects.
“Both suspects were booked into the El Paso County Jail in April 2025 and are the subjects of a continued investigation involving victims across the United States,” the statement said.
