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Senior citizen loses ₹8 lakh in ‘digital arrest’ scam
Fraudsters threatened him with arrest and kept him engaged in video calls, creating fear that he would be taken into custody
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A 75-year-old retired Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) employee from Hadapsar was allegedly cheated of ₹8 lakh by cyber fraudsters who posed as Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officials and threatened to arrest him in a fake money laundering case, police said.
The victim received a WhatsApp video call on September 7 from a man who identified himself as an investigation officer from the ATS in Delhi. The caller allegedly told the senior citizen that his bank account had been used in a ₹22-crore money laundering case. The FIR was lodged on October 7 following detailed forensic and internal investigation.
The fraudsters further claimed that the victim had received a commission of ₹22 lakh from the alleged illegal transactions. They threatened him with arrest and kept him engaged in video calls, creating fear that he would be taken into custody.
The accused allegedly sent fabricated documents, including an arrest warrant, to make their claims appear genuine. They then told the victim that he could avoid arrest by transferring money to bank accounts specified by them.
Between September 9 and September 16, the victim transferred ₹8,00,042 in four transactions to separate bank accounts.
The fraud came to light when the accused allegedly demanded more money from the victim. When he told them that he had exhausted his funds, they obtained his daughter’s contact details and approached her, asking her to arrange the money.
The daughter suspected that her father was being targeted by cyber fraudsters and approached the police.
The Hadapsar police have registered a case against unidentified persons and are investigating the transactions and bank accounts used to receive the money.
“The case is another example of cybercriminals using the threat of arrest and fabricated legal proceedings to target senior citizens. The investigation is underway,” said senior police inspector Hemant Patil of Hadapsar police station.
