Two women in Bengaluru were scammed out of money and forced to strip on video call by fraudsters posing as police officers in a ‘digital arrest’ scam.
The women were kept on the video call for nine hours, where they were allegedly forced to strip naked for an “online medical examination.”
The fraudsters ordered the women to strip naked for an “online medical examination” to identify birthmarks and moles, during which they recorded videos and took photos of the women, news agency PTI reported.
The cops learnt about the incident when a 46-year-old woman approached the East CEN police station on Saturday. A complaint was filed under the Information Technology Act and the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)
The incident took place on July 17 when the woman and her childhood friend received a call from a person claiming to be an officer from Mumbai’s Colaba police station. The ‘officer’ then accused the woman and her friend, who is a yoga instructor in Thailand and was visiting, of involvement in money laundering.
They were accused of being connected to Jet Airways money laundering case. As per the complaint, when the woman denied these allegations, the fraudster shared specific details of the victim’s debit card and tried establishing credibility.
{{/usCountry}}They were accused of being connected to Jet Airways money laundering case. As per the complaint, when the woman denied these allegations, the fraudster shared specific details of the victim’s debit card and tried establishing credibility.
{{/usCountry}}The accused provided different forged documents, including arrest warrants and a fake CBI ID card. These documents were so convincing that the women believed they were dealing with officials. "We weren’t allowed to leave the house, as they claimed we were under surveillance," the complainant told PTI.
The women were then asked to transfer money to a specific account for verification purposes and were promised a full refund. Following this, the instructor transferred ₹58,447 to the fraudsters. Under the guise of medical clearance, the fraudsters asked women to go through an online examination involving stripping naked. They claimed that this was necessary to identify marks, moles or tattoos on the body. However, the women were unaware that they were being recorded.
After hours of harassment, the instructor reached out to a friend via WhatsApp call who advised them to disconnect the call and refuse to transfer any money immediately. When the fraudsters failed to connect with the women, they sent them pictures and videos threatening to make them public. However, both women deleted the photos and approached the police.
(With Inputs from PTI)