Chandigarh resident loses ₹57 lakh to digital arrest scam
In her complaint to the police, the victim, whose details were not shared by the police, said that on November 6, 2024, she got a call from a man claiming to be a DHL employee
A Sector 18 resident lost ₹57.16 lakh in a digital arrest scam.
In her complaint to the police, the victim, whose details were not shared by the police, said that on November 6, 2024, she got a call from a man claiming to be a DHL employee. He told her that a suspicious parcel in her name had been sent to Beijing, and it contained five passports, five credit cards, 3.5 kg clothes and 400 grams of MDMA (drug).
“I was then connected with individuals posing as officials from Mumbai Police and CBI through WhatsApp, and they accused me of money laundering. Under pressure, I transferred ₹57,16,000 by liquidating investments, taking loans, and selling gold. They monitored me through WhatsApp and Skype and warned me to not disclose the matter,” she added.
She said that after she transferred the amount, she received no response, which is when she realised that she had been duped.
A case under Sections 308(2), 319(2), 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered at cyber police station on the complaint of the woman.
Cyber cell releases advisory
Following the growing instances of digital frauds, the cyber crime cell of the UT police has released advisory cautioning the people. Usually, the modus operandi includes contacting individuals via phone call, email or messaging platform posing as senior officials from police/other departments and using official-sounding language or spoofed caller id and demanding money or sensitive information.
The advisory reads that the resident should be vigilant and should verify the ID of the caller through official platforms and to not share personal, financial or confidential information with unverified contacts and report any suspicious activity.