Digital Arrest On Rise in Mumbai: Fraudsters Impersonating As Police Loot INR 1.2 Cr Life Savings of 80-Year-Old Man

A cyber fraud incident has cost an 80-year-old retired marine engineer from Bandra West his life savings of INR 1.2 crore. The victim resides in the Mount Mary area and was allegedly tricked by cybercriminals who posed as police officers to gain his trust. According to police reports, the fraud began on September 30 when he received a call from someone pretending to be a Bengaluru police officer.

The caller falsely informed him that a bank account had been opened in his name and was involved in laundering INR 2 crore. He was accused of money laundering conspiracy, and they threatened him with legal action.

To gain his trust, the scammers even got in a video call with the man while dressed as police officers. But they quickly disconnected it to avoid suspicion. The scammers then told the victim to quarantine himself in a room for a "digital arrest." They pressured him to write a note pledging not to reveal the case to anyone. 

The criminals also used fake documents, including a First Information Report (FIR), a Supreme Court notice, and a letter from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). These fake documents accused the victim of financial crimes and warned of property seizures if he refused to cooperate.

The criminals further convinced him that he was being investigated and that his passport and Aadhaar card were under scrutiny. They told him he couldn’t leave the area without official clearance. The scammers then persuaded him to transfer his retirement savings of INR 1.2 crore into a “secure” account, claiming that this move would protect his funds during the investigation. 

The victim transferred the money in one transaction, trusting that it would keep his assets safe. The scammers even provided a fake receipt of the transaction.

The elderly man understood about the fraud on October 5 when he saw a video about cybercrimes posted by a friend. Then, he approached the Bandra police and made a complaint. The police launched an investigation and filed a case under sections of the Information Technology Act of 2000 and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita of 2023.