Mangaluru: A man from Puttur taluk in Dakshina Kannada district has allegedly lost Rs 1.31 crore after cyber fraudsters posing as Mumbai police and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officers threatened him with arrest and forced him to transfer money to multiple bank accounts under the pretext of an investigation.
According to a statement issued by the district police, the fraudsters falsely accused the victim of transferring money to those allegedly responsible for the Pahalgam massacre. Claiming to represent Mumbai police and the ATS, they warned him that he would be arrested immediately unless he complied with their instructions.
The accused allegedly contacted the victim through WhatsApp video calls and repeatedly intimidated him in the name of an official investigation. They claimed that his bank accounts needed to be scrutinised and that the funds held in them had to be verified.
Fearing arrest and believing the callers were genuine law enforcement officers, the victim followed their instructions and transferred money through RTGS to several bank accounts specified by the fraudsters.
The transfers were reportedly made in instalments between September 2 and October 6, 2026. During this period, the victim transferred a total of Rs 1,31,50,000 to the accounts provided by the accused.
The victim subsequently realised that he had been targeted in a cybercrime involving the so-called digital arrest technique. He then contacted the national cybercrime helpline 1930 to report the incident, police said.
A case has been registered at the Dakshina Kannada Cyber Crime Police Station under Crime No. 42/2026. The case invokes Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act and Sections 126(2), 204, 308(6), 318(4), 319(2) and 351, read with Section 3(5), of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. An investigation is under way.
Police have warned the public against fraudsters impersonating police officers, ATS personnel, CBI officials and other investigative agencies to extort money. They clarified that digital arrest is not a recognised legal procedure in India and that genuine law enforcement agencies do not demand money transfers to verify bank balances or secure release from an investigation.
People receiving threatening calls from unknown persons claiming to be government officials have been advised not to panic or transfer money. Instead, they should disconnect the call and contact the local police. Anyone who falls victim to cyber fraud should immediately call 1930 or register a complaint through the official cybercrime portal, cybercrime.gov.in.
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