Bengaluru Techie Loses Rs 11 Cr In 'Digital Arrest' Scam, Retired Official Duped Of Rs 40 Lakh In Separate Case
The cybercriminals managed to get the Bengaluru techie's personal details like Aadhaar Card, PAN card and other details after which they managed to syphon funds into nine different bank accounts.
A Bengaluru techie became the latest victim to a digital arrest scam where the fraudsters threatened to arrest him in a money laundering case and duped him of Rs 11 crore.
The victim, Vijay Kumar, had a market investment worth Rs 50 lakh which had turned into Rs 12 crore. When the cyber fraudsters came to know of the investment, they posed as police, customs and Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials and threatened to arrest him for money laundering, India Today reported.
The cybercriminals managed to get the victim's personal details like Aadhaar Card, PAN card and other details after which they managed to syphon funds into nine different bank accounts, a report in India Today said.
The fraudsters allegedly took the money over several months claiming that the money was being charged for government procedures to clear his name.
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Vijay Kumar filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime police, after which a probe was launched. The police traced the Rs 7.5 crore was traced to a single account in Allahabad.
The cops revealed that the money was used to buy gold by one of the accused, Dhaval Shah. The police have arrested three accused Tarun Natani, Karan, and Dhaval Shah and booked them under relevant sections of the IT Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Retired Govt Official Duped Of Rs 40 Lakh
In a separate incident, a retired government official from Faridabad was duped of Rs 40 lakh by fraudsters posing as TRAI and Mumbai Police officials.
The victim, Monika, who retired from her post as Labour Welfare Commissioner with the Central Ministry, was placed under 'digital arrest' for 18 days, PTI quoted police officials as saying.
In November 2024, the victim received a call on her mobile from an unknown number and was held hostage for the next 18 days, police said.
The victim in her complaint said, the caller introduced himself as a representative of the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) and informed her that an account had been opened in Canara Bank, Mumbai, using her Aadhar card and phone number.
The caller also mentioned a large transaction made from that account involving the CEO of a private aviation company. When the victim denied opening any account in Mumbai, the caller claimed that a huge transaction had been made from the account.
The caller then transferred the call to another individual, who introduced himself as a Mumbai Police officer. The fraudster, claiming to cooperate with the investigation, insisted on house arrest and kept WhatsApp voice calls active day and night, instructing the victim not to tell anyone about the situation or she would be arrested, police said.
During this period, the accused transferred Rs 40 lakh from her account, promising to return the money after the investigation was complete, police said. When the accused stopped responding during a video call, Monika realised she had been duped.
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