Too late by the time they read newspaper: 90-year-old loses lifetime savings of ₹1.57 crore in ‘digital arrest’

Victimized by a 'digital arrest' scam, a 90-year-old Navi Mumbai resident and his wife lost ₹1.57 crore, believing they were under investigation.

A 90-year-old Nerul resident realised he and his wife had fallen victim to a months-long “digital arrest” scam only after reading newspaper reports on similar cyber frauds. By then, the couple had already liquidated their fixed deposits and recurring deposits and transferred their lifetime savings of ₹1.57 crore to frauds posing as officials of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Mumbai Police.

Police have arrested a 19-year-old youth in Amravati for allegedly luring women and girls. (PTI)

The Navi Mumbai Cyber police have registered an FIR against unidentified cybercriminals under section 318 (cheating), section 308 (extortion), and section 204 (impersonating a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.

According to the complaint, the elderly couple was targeted between January 12 and July 30 this year. Police said the criminals contacted the complainant through multiple mobile and WhatsApp numbers while posing as government and police officials.

One caller identified himself as Ram Mohan, claiming to be a public relations officer with the DoT, while another introduced himself as Mumbai Police officer Daya Nayak. A woman identifying herself as Dipali also participated in the conversations.

The accused allegedly told the 90-year-old that he was a suspect in a money laundering case and that his identity and bank accounts were under investigation. In order to make the claims appear genuine, they sent forged notices and directed the elderly couple to remain confined to their home, claiming they were under official surveillance. The complainant was instructed not to disclose the “investigation” to anyone and was kept under constant watch through mobile and WhatsApp communication, including video calls.

Believing the claims to be genuine, the complainant transferred ₹1.57 crore to bank accounts specified by the fraudsters through multiple transactions over several months, police said. The accused also allegedly used a fake website resembling an official judicial portal to lend credibility to the deception.

“The complainant’s children are settled in the United States, and the elderly couple lived largely in isolation with limited social interaction. The fraud took place between January and February this year, but they realised they had been cheated only after reading similar ‘digital arrest’ scams in newspapers,” said assistant police inspector Vishal Patil of the Navi Mumbai Cyber police station.

“By then, they had already liquidated their fixed deposits and recurring deposits and transferred their lifetime savings to the frauds. We are making every effort to trace the money trail and recover as much of the defrauded amount as possible,” Patil added.

Investigators have identified the fraudulent domain allegedly used as part of the scam. The complaint was received through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) on July 30, following which the Navi Mumbai Cyber police registered the FIR the same day and launched an investigation.