Kolkata Woman Loses Rs 11 Lakh In 'Digital Arrest' Scam, Accused Held In Rajasthan

A 20-year-old man was arrested from Rajasthan's Alwar for duping Kolkata woman of Rs 11 lakh in 'digital arrest' fraud last year in December 2024.

A 20-year-old man was arrested for duping Kolkata woman of Rs 11 lakh in 'digital arrest' fraud.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

A 76-year-old woman from Kolkata was duped of Rs 11 lakh after she fell prey to a digital arrest scam in December last year. The accused was however apprehended on Tuesday from Rajasthan month after the crime was reported.

The 20-year-old accused man was arrested in Rajasthan’s Alwar by Kolkata’s Laketown police station officials in connection with the cyber fraud case filed against him by the victim. The man has been identified as Mahesh Kumar and belongs to Baskripalnagar, Kishangarh in Rajasthan, Indian Express reported.

Scammer Posed As Mumbai Cyber Crime Branch Officer

Manju Ganguly, the victim, had filed a complaint under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections pertaining to cheating and fraud. She is a resident of DumDum Park, Laketown, and was duped out of her life savings of Rs 11 lakh.

The scammer posed as a Mumbai Cyber Crime Branch officer when he video called Ganguly via WhatsApp last year. He falsely claimed that her Aadhaar card was being misused for illegal activities, such as illegal trading, unautorised SIM car activiations, fake gambling advertisements, and sexual harassement, Times Of India reported.

He then subjected the woman to a 'digital arrest' and managed to detain her virtually for two days. During this time, he pursuaded her into transferring her life savings to an account provided by him by threatening her during the continous video surevillance for two consecutive days. He even wore a police inform when he appeared for the video call to make things look real.

The Kolkata police traced Kumar through his IP address and mobile tower locations, finally leading to his arrest in Alwar. Further investigation into the matter is underway.