A senior academic visiting Kolkata from Chhattisgarh lost more than ₹7 lakh after falling victim to a sophisticated “digital arrest” scam that kept her under psychological pressure for nearly three days.
The incident took place in the city’s Phoolbagan area, where the elderly woman had been staying with relatives during her summer vacation. According to police, the scam began on June 10 when she received a call from an unknown number. The caller identified himself as an officer from Mumbai Police and falsely claimed that her Aadhaar details had been used to obtain SIM cards linked to serious crimes, including money laundering and human trafficking.
To intensify the fear, the fraudsters alleged that a bank account opened in her name had been involved in suspicious transactions worth nearly ₹2 crore. The woman was then told that her phone was under surveillance and that the matter had been transferred to central investigative agencies.
Over the next 48 to 72 hours, the scammers maintained constant contact with the victim, preventing her from discussing the matter with family members. Another fraudster, posing as a senior CBI officer, contacted her through video and phone calls and shared forged government documents to make the fake investigation appear legitimate.
The scammers eventually convinced her that the Reserve Bank of India had issued a confidential verification process requiring the temporary transfer of her assets. Acting under extreme stress and believing she was cooperating with authorities, the woman prematurely closed her fixed deposits. She transferred over ₹7 lakh to a bank account linked to a private company named in the fraudulent documents.
Realising she had been cheated only after the money was transferred, the victim approached the police. Investigators have launched a probe to trace the mule accounts used in the fraud. However, officials admitted that recovering the funds may prove difficult due to the delay in reporting the transaction.
The case is the latest in a growing series of “digital arrest” scams targeting senior citizens and professionals nationwide. Authorities continue to urge the public to remember that no law enforcement agency, court, or government department can place individuals under “digital arrest” or demand money transfers for verification purposes.
