A 71-year-old man from Bachupally was duped of ₹43.8 lakh by fraudsters posing as law enforcement officials in a ‘digital arrest’ scam.
According to the complaint, the victim received a WhatsApp message on March 31 from a person identifying himself as “Sanjay,” who claimed that the victim’s SIM card was being used for terrorist activities. The next day, the victim was made to speak to another accused posing as an official from the National Investigation Agency, who falsely accused him of involvement in terror funding.
The fraudsters further alleged that a debit card in the victim’s name had been seized during a raid in Mumbai and was linked to ₹2 crore in illegal proceeds. When the victim denied the claims and cited health issues preventing travel, he was persuaded to undergo a “digital verification” process to prove his innocence.
Under pressure, the victim transferred ₹43.8 lakh to a bank account provided by the fraudsters on April 10. When the money was not returned and the accused became unreachable, he approached Cyberabad cybercrime police.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. Further investigation is underway in Hyderabad.
