A 68-year-old woman from South Mumbai has allegedly lost Rs 3.02 crore to cyber fraudsters who impersonated law enforcement officials and falsely accused her of being involved in a money laundering case.
The fraud took place between August 21 and September 12, when the woman, who lives alone, received a WhatsApp video call from a man claiming to be a Mumbai police officer. He told her that her name had surfaced in a money laundering investigation.
The callers later posed as officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), escalating the threats and warning her that she could be arrested at any time.
The fraudsters subsequently told the woman that, given her age, she would be questioned online and placed her under what they described as a “digital arrest”. They allegedly demanded details of her bank accounts, fixed deposits and financial transactions.
Claiming that government agencies needed to verify whether her money was linked to criminal activities, the accused instructed her to transfer funds to bank accounts they provided. They assured her that the money would be returned once the verification process was complete.
Believing the callers were genuine officials, the woman transferred Rs 3.02 crore through three separate transactions. However, the promised refund never arrived, and the callers eventually stopped responding.
She then contacted her brother, who realised that she had been cheated. The woman subsequently approached the South Region Cyber Police Station and filed a complaint on September 14.
A police team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Bajrang Bansode, along with senior inspector Nandkumar Glopale and sub-inspector Dipesh Shinde, is investigating the case.
Reader’s Advisory: No agency can place you under “digital arrest” through a video call or demand money for verification. Never share financial details or transfer funds to unknown accounts. Verify callers independently and report cyber fraud immediately by calling 1930.
