Retired Navy officer loses ₹1.68 crore after 2 month digi arrest

An 80-year-old retired Merchant Navy radio engineer from Grant Road was allegedly duped of ₹1.68 crore by cyber fraudsters posing as officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED), who kept him under a so-called “digital arrest” for nearly two months. An FIR was registered on May 17.

MUMBAI: An 80-year-old retired Merchant Navy radio engineer from Grant Road was allegedly duped of ₹1.68 crore by cyber fraudsters posing as officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED), who kept him under a so-called “digital arrest” for nearly two months. An FIR was registered on May 17.

Retired Navy officer loses ₹1.68 crore after 2 month digi arrest

According to police, the fraud began on March 23 when the complainant received a call from a man claiming to be a police officer from Bengaluru’s Ashok Nagar police station. The caller alleged that a debit card issued in the complainant’s name had been recovered from a suspected terrorist and was being used for money laundering.

The fraudsters later claimed that the case was being investigated by the ED and CBI and asked the senior citizen to download the Signal app for further communication.

“An accused posing as an ED officer threatened the complainant, claiming that arrest warrants and asset freeze orders had been issued against him,” a police officer said.

The complainant was allegedly told that he was under surveillance as part of an ongoing investigation and was warned not to disclose the matter to anyone. The accused also obtained details of his bank accounts and allegedly threatened him during video calls while posing as police officials.

Fearing arrest, the complainant broke fixed deposits, withdrew investments from PPFs, NBFCs and the stock market, and transferred ₹1.68 crore in 11 transactions to bank accounts provided by the accused between March 23 and May 13.

The fraud came to light after the complainant confided in an acquaintance, who informed him that he had been cheated. The South Cyber police have registered a case of cheating and impersonation against unidentified persons and launched an investigation.