Retired Chandigarh schoolteacher loses ₹48 lakh in ‘digital arrest’ scam

A digital arrest is a cyber extortion scam where fraudsters impersonate law enforcement or government officials on video calls to trick victims into believing they face immediate arrest

A retired schoolteacher from Sector 20 allegedly lost ₹48 lakh to cyber fraudsters who subjected her to a “digital arrest” while posing as police, Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) and National Investigation Agency (NIA) officers.

A case has been registered at the cyber police station, Sector 17. (HT FILE)

A digital arrest is a cyber extortion scam where fraudsters impersonate law enforcement or government officials on video calls to trick victims into believing they face immediate arrest.

According to police, on September 16-17, the woman received WhatsApp voice and video calls from a person claiming to be an assistant sub-inspector with UT Police. He allegedly told her that a SIM card issued in her name in Jammu and Kashmir had been linked to a case involving terrorists and hawala transactions.

The fraudsters allegedly claimed that ₹70 lakh sent through hawala transactions had reached her bank account. They later posed as NIA and ATS officials and showed her a purported Supreme Court order to convince her that she would face arrest and 10 years’ imprisonment.

The woman was allegedly kept under constant video-call surveillance and threatened against informing her children. Believing the claims, she transferred ₹48 lakh in three transactions to different bank accounts on their instructions. It was only later that realised it was a scam and approached the police. A case has been registered at the cyber police station, Sector 17.