Elderly Man in Mumbai Duped of Rs 10 Lakh in Digital Arrest Scam

Santacruz, Mumbai: An 81-year-old man from Santacruz, Mumbai, fell victim to a digital arrest scam, losing Rs 10 lakh to fraudsters posing as CBI officers. The incident occurred on December 9 when a caller, claiming to be an ‘investigation officer’, made a video call and threatened the elderly man with arrest on charges of human trafficking and money laundering.

The scammer told the victim that he would be put under house arrest unless he transferred money to an account provided by them. Following the instructions, the man transferred the money using RTGS. Afterward, when he tried calling back to verify the situation, the fraudster’s phone was switched off, leading him to realize he had been duped.

The Santacruz police have registered a cyber fraud case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Information Technology Act. Investigations are underway to trace the perpetrators.