Scammers quickly ended their latest 'digital arrest' attempt on Sunday after realizing they had targeted Rajesh Dandotiya, the Additional DCP of the Indore Crime Branch, reported The Indian Express.
The incident occurred around 2 pm on Sunday while Dandotiya was in his office. He received an automated call informing him that a fraudulent transaction of ₹1,11,930 had been made using his credit card, and that an FIR had been filed. The caller also warned that his bank account would be frozen within two hours.
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Dandotiya decided to play along, and when the scammers attempted to video call him to record his statement, they panicked upon seeing him in his police uniform and immediately disconnected the call.
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The fraudsters “initially posed as banking officials and then impersonated police officers”, claiming that Dandotiya's Aadhar card was misused and an FIR had been registered against him.
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“The caller told me that I had misused my credit card, and as a result, a case had been registered with Andheri West police station in Mumbai. I was having a press briefing at the time. I was told my bank account would be blocked and was asked to visit the police station in two hours,” the officer said.
{{/usCountry}}“The caller told me that I had misused my credit card, and as a result, a case had been registered with Andheri West police station in Mumbai. I was having a press briefing at the time. I was told my bank account would be blocked and was asked to visit the police station in two hours,” the officer said.
{{/usCountry}}Dandotiya told them he had not been to Mumbai in over ten years and could not immediately go there. They said they would connect him to a senior officer, a man who then tried to take his “official statement”.
When they realised he was a police officer, they quickly cut the call. Dandotiya told The Indian Express that he had intentionally continued the conversation to expose them and use the experience to educate the public.