Bengaluru: A 74-year-old man and his wife from Bengaluru’s Jayanagar fell victim to a sophisticated ‘digital arrest’ scam, losing ₹3.17 crore over a span of nearly three months after fraudsters posed as telecom officials and police officers.
The ordeal began on March 9, when the couple received a call claiming their landline connection would be disconnected because it had been linked to criminal activities. The call was later transferred to people impersonating senior telecom officials and police officers, who falsely accused the couple of involvement in money laundering, drug trafficking and hawala transactions.
The fraudsters kept the couple under constant surveillance through a so-called “digital arrest”, warning them not to discuss the matter with anyone or leave their home without permission. Claiming the money was required for financial verification, they convinced the victims to transfer funds from multiple bank accounts to accounts controlled by the accused. They even asked the couple to mortgage their jewellery, but the victims refused.
The scam came to light only after the fraudsters repeatedly postponed returning the money, citing pending income tax clearance, before eventually cutting off all communication. The couple then approached the police, following which the South CEN Crime Police registered a case and launched an investigation into the bank accounts and the identities of those behind the elaborate cyber fraud.
