An 85-year-old man in Mumbai lost ₹9 crore after falling victim to a cyber fraud in which scammers placed him under a so-called “digital arrest”, police said on Wednesday.
The victim, a retired professor and former head of department at an engineering college, has lodged a complaint at the South Region Cyber Police Station. Officials said the case came to light on Monday, PTI reported.
Also read| Uddhav, Raj reunite after two decades, announce alliance for Mumbai civic polls
The incident began on November 28 when the elderly man received a phone call from a person claiming to be an inspector from Panchvati Police Station in Nashik.
The caller alleged that the victim’s Aadhaar number had been misused to open a bank account. He further claimed that the account was involved in money laundering and in transferring funds to the banned organisation Popular Front of India (PFI). The caller warned that a criminal case was being registered and said a special team from the “CBI crime branch” was investigating the matter.
On December 1, the victim received a WhatsApp video call from another man dressed in a police uniform. The caller told him that an arrest warrant had been issued and that he had been placed under “digital arrest”.
{{/usCountry}}On December 1, the victim received a WhatsApp video call from another man dressed in a police uniform. The caller told him that an arrest warrant had been issued and that he had been placed under “digital arrest”.
{{/usCountry}}Also read| City’s ‘moderate’ AQI is a result of pollution monitors not working
The fraudsters instructed the victim to share complete details of his bank accounts and investments. He was also warned not to disclose the situation to anyone.
Soon after, the callers asked him to transfer all his savings for “verification purposes”. They assured him that the money would be returned with interest once the probe was completed.
Fearing arrest, the victim transferred money from his fixed deposits, mutual funds and share market investments to several bank accounts. Police said the total amount transferred between December 1 and December 22 was ₹9 crore.
When the calls suddenly stopped, the victim attempted to contact the supposed officers but received no response. He then realised that he had been cheated.
The man contacted the national cybercrime helpline number 1930 and later approached the cyber police to lodge a formal complaint.
Police officials said an investigation is underway to trace the fraudsters and recover the money.
(With PTI inputs)