Digital arrest fraud: Bengaluru homemaker duped of ₹98.4 lakh during two-month ordeal
Cyber fraudsters allegedly cheated a 60-year-old homemaker from Bommanahalli, in Bengaluru, of ₹98.4 lakh by falsely implicating her in a money laundering case and subjecting
Cyber fraudsters allegedly cheated a 60-year-old homemaker from Bommanahalli, in Bengaluru, of ₹98.4 lakh by falsely implicating her in a money laundering case and subjecting her to a prolonged online ‘investigation’ for nearly two months. The victim approached the South-East Division Cyber Crime Police on June 5, after narrating her ordeal to family members, who realised she had fallen prey to an elaborate cyber fraud. According to the complaint, the woman received a phone call on March 18 from a mobile number. The caller introduced himself as an official from Delhi Police and later connected her through WhatsApp to another person claiming to be ‘DCP Bhishma Singh’ from the Delhi Police Crime Branch.
The fraudsters allegedly told the woman that her identity documents had been misused in a money laundering case, and that multiple criminal cases had been registered against her. They further threatened her with arrest, claiming that a Supreme Court warrant had been issued, and warned that failure to cooperate could create legal problems for her family. Another individual identifying himself as ‘Ravi Kumar’ frequently contacted the woman through WhatsApp, and instructed her to share details of her daily activities. She was told that she was under surveillance as part of an ongoing investigation.
The accused allegedly made video calls posing as Delhi Cyber Crime officials, and convinced the homemaker that she was the subject of a confidential inquiry. Claiming that her bank accounts needed to be verified, they instructed her to transfer all her funds to accounts specified by them, assuring her that the money would be returned once the investigation was completed. Believing the claims to be genuine, the victim transferred substantial amounts from her bank accounts. To arrange additional funds, she pledged her personal gold jewellery, and transferred the money to accounts provided by the fraudsters.
She transferred a total of ₹98.4 lakh to the criminals. A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Cyber crime police have launched an investigation to trace the accused and recover the defrauded money.
The BriefWire