Karnataka retired woman loses entire life savings of ₹3.9 crore to ‘digital arrest’ fraud

The scammers posed as officials from the General Post Office and law enforcement agencies and extorted her over a span of seven months.

A retired woman in Mangaluru was duped out of ₹3.9 crore by cyber fraudsters who falsely accused her of sending MDMA to China and convinced her she was under “digital arrest,” police said.

A widow in her sixties who had previously lived and worked overseas with her husband, had settled in Mangaluru a few years ago. (Representative Image)

The scammers posed as officials from the General Post Office and law enforcement agencies and extorted her over a span of seven months, Indian Express reported.

According to the report, the woman, a widow in her sixties who had previously lived and worked overseas with her husband, had settled in Mangaluru a few years ago. Since her husband passed away last year, she had been living alone. According to police sources, the scammers targeted her vulnerability and isolation with precision.

The fraud began on January 15, when the woman returned a missed call from an unknown number. On the other end was a caller claiming to be an employee of the General Post Office. The caller informed her that a parcel addressed to China and allegedly sent by her had been intercepted. The parcel, she was told, contained 150 grams of MDMA, a banned drug, the report further added.

The caller warned her that the crime could carry a prison sentence of “75 years or above,” which sent the woman into a state of panic. When she denied sending any such package, she was told that someone had likely used her identity card to send it, implicating her in the offence.

What followed was a well-orchestrated psychological manipulation scheme. The fraudsters posed as helpful officials and maintained constant contact, advising her not to tell anyone about the case. They allegedly told her that she could obtain a "no-objection certificate" to clear her name, if she agreed to transfer 93% of her pension savings to certain bank accounts.

On January 17, the woman made her first transfer of ₹55 lakh. Over the following months, she continued sending money in multiple installments until July 4, with the total amount reaching ₹3.9 crore. The scam only came to light when the fraudsters suddenly stopped answering her calls. It was then that the victim realised she had been duped and approached the police.

According to investigating officers, the woman had not confided in any family members, including her brother.