Digital arrest scams are spreading fast across Mumbai, with cybercriminals posing as government officers to extort large sums of money from victims.
In a shocking development, three similar cases have been reported in the last week. Investigations are ongoing in all cases, and the police have urged citizens to verify any such calls and avoid sharing personal or financial information.
First Case
In the first case, the cyber police placed three people under “digital arrest” on Wednesday, October 15, for allegedly providing their bank accounts to fraudsters. These accounts were used to cheat a 72-year-old stock market investor and his wife from Mumbai out of INR 58 crore.
The fraud began on August 19, when the complainant received a call from individuals claiming to be from the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate. The callers told him that his account contained illegal money and that he was being placed under a “digital arrest.”
Between August 19 and October 8, the couple transferred INR 58.13 crore through RTGS to several accounts provided by the accused. After tracing the accounts, the police located and arrested three account holders who had allowed their accounts to be used in the scam.
Second Case
A 26-year-old television actress living in Mumbai lost INR 6.5 lakh to cybercriminals who kept her under “digital arrest” for seven hours. On Monday, she received several phone calls, including a video call from a man dressed as a Delhi police officer.
According to her complaint at the Oshiwara police station, the scam began when she received a call from someone pretending to be a mobile service provider executive. The caller said her number would be terminated due to suspicious activity. He sent her a fake Supreme Court summons showing alleged transactions in her account.
The actress was told to transfer INR 6.5 lakh for verification and was promised a refund. She complied but later discovered through Truecaller that the number was fake. The police registered a case on Thursday following her complaint.
Third Case
In the third case, a 77-year-old retired accountant who once worked in London narrowly escaped losing his savings after being targeted in a similar scam. Living in South Mumbai’s Gamdevi area, he received a WhatsApp video call in the first week of October from someone claiming to be a Mumbai police officer.
The caller said he was involved in a money laundering case and asked for personal details. The scammers created a fake debit card in his name and claimed it had been used for laundering. They sent him documents with forged government seals and signatures, including a fake warrant and an agreement demanding that he transfer his savings for verification.
The victim was told not to speak to anyone and remained under “digital arrest” from October 8 to 11. He transferred INR 7.19 lakh and Rs 7.80 lakh to accounts provided by the scammers. However, he grew suspicious and told a relative, who recognized the scam and took him to the South Cyber Police.