Hyderabad: 82-year-old loses Rs 72 lakh in ‘digital arrest’ scam

Hyderabad: In another appalling case of cybercrime, an 82-year-old Banjara Hills resident was cheated out of Rs 72 lakh by scammers who claimed to be officials from the Mumbai Crime Branch. The gang allegedly put them under a “digital arrest” for ten days, mentally terrorizing them till they remitted the money, reported Eenadu.

The ‘digital arrest’ trap

As per the complaint lodged with the Narayanaguda cybercrime police, the victim got a WhatsApp video call on August 11. In the call, a person wearing a police uniform identified himself as a Crime Branch official and blamed the victim for their involvement in a money laundering case.

The caller stated that an account was being opened with the Aadhaar card of the victim and their name was being enrolled as an accused.

The scammers informed the elderly person that they had been “digitally arrested” and instructed them not to talk to anyone.

The following morning, they were compelled to provide a false statement before what they were informed was the Supreme Court via another video link. In constant intimidation, the victim paid Rs 72 lakh into accounts given by the fraudsters, thinking it was necessary until the “investigation” was finished. When additional demands were made, they realised that they had been tricked and went to the police.