Bengaluru Techie Loses Rs 11.8 Crore In 'Digital Arrest' Scam, Here's What Happened

The fraudsters cited a fake Reserve Bank of India guidelines and asked him to transfer funds to certain accounts on the pretext of verification purposes or face legal consequences.

The fraudster, claiming to be an officer, claimed that the victim's SIM card was being used for illegal advertisements and harassment messages.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

A software engineer from Bengaluru became a victim to digital arrest scam and lost a whopping Rs 11.8 crore to cyber fraudsters impersonating police officials.

The 39-year-old techie became a victim of online fraud last month when fraudsters impersonating police officials claimed that his Aadhaar card was being misused to open bank accounts for money laundering, police said.

The police said that the victim alleged that he received a call from a person claiming to be an officer of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on November 11.

The officer claimed that the SIM card, linked to his Aadhaar card, was being used for illegal advertisements and harassment messages.

The fraudster also alleged that a case was registered in connection with the 'complaint' in Mumbai's Colaba Cyber Police Station. He then got a call from a person claiming to be a police officer alleging that his Aadhaar details were being misused to open bank accounts for money laundering, the victim stated in the FIR.

The cyber criminals warned the techie to keep the matter confidential and threatened him that if he did not cooperate with the virtual investigation, he would be physically arrested.

The victim then got a call from a person asking him to download the Skype app following which a man, dressed in Mumbai police uniform, video-called him and claimed that a businessman had opened a bank account using his Aadhaar to conduct transactions worth Rs 6 crore, the FIR further stated.

On November 25, another man in police uniform called him over Skype and alleged that his case was being heard in the top court and threatened to arrest his family if he did not comply, according to the complainant.

The fraudsters cited a fake Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines and asked him to transfer funds to certain accounts on the pretext of verification purposes or face legal consequences.

The FIR stated that the victim transferred a total sum of Rs 11.8 crore in multiple transactions to various bank accounts over a period of time, fearing arrest. 

However, when the fraudsters started demanding more money, the victim realised that he had fallen prey to fraudsters and lodged a complaint with the police. The fraud reportedly occurred between November 25 and December 12.

A case has been registered under the IT Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating and cheating by impersonation, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.