Bengaluru senior citizen falls prey to ‘digital arrest’ scam, loses ₹1.94 cr saved in fixed deposit: Report
The scammers, pretending to be Mumbai crime branch officers, accused the senior citizen of involving in a money laundering case linked to Naresh Goyal.
A 68-year-old man in Bengaluru fell victim to an organised cyber scam, losing ₹1.94 crore from his fixed deposit after being held under "digital arrest" for seven days. The scammers, pretending to be Mumbai crime branch officers, accused the senior citizen of involving in a money laundering case linked to Naresh Goyal, the founder of Jet Airways.
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According to a report in Deccan Herald, the sca began on November 30 when the senior citizen received a video call from an unknown number on WhatsApp. The callers had staged their setup similar to a police station. During the call, they alleged that the man’s ATM card had been seized as part of their investigation into Goyal and claimed he had received commissions from the businessman. The claim triggered a panic in victim as he was asked to either appear at the Mumbai crime branch for interrogation or remain under "digital arrest." Choosing the latter, he was coerced into providing his bank details and transferring funds in multiple installments, totaling ₹1.94 crore. The scammers warned him against disclosing the situation to anyone, further isolating him.
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The victim only realized he had been duped when he confided in his younger daughter on December 7. Acting swiftly, she accompanied him to the police station to lodge a complaint. Initially registered at a police station in southeast Bengaluru, the case was later handed over to the southeast CEN police station for investigation.
There have been many digital arrest scam cases across the country where people are losing lakhs of rupees to the scamsters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also recently alerted people about such scams. He said, “People from every class and age group fall victim to digital arrest. People have lost lakhs of rupees earned through their hard work, out of sheer fear. Whenever you receive such a call, don’t be scared. You should be aware that no investigative agency ever inquires like this through a phone call or a video call.”
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