A startling incident of ‘digital arrest’ has emerged in Indore, where fraudsters deceived a 65-year-old woman out of Rs 46 lakh (approximately $55,000). The police reported the incident on Tuesday, highlighting a disturbing new trend in cybercrime.
‘Digital arrest’ involves scammers posing as law enforcement officials, such as police or CBI agents, who threaten individuals through audio or video calls. They create a sense of fear, falsely claiming that the victim is involved in criminal activities, and subsequently manipulate them into transferring money under the guise of legal proceedings.
According to Additional Police Commissioner Rajesh Dandotia, the scam began when a gang member contacted the elderly woman last month, impersonating a CBI officer. The caller informed her that her bank account had been misused for drug trafficking, terrorist activities, and money laundering. He falsely claimed that due to her alleged association with these crimes, an arrest warrant had been issued against her.
The caller then conducted a fake interrogation via video call, maintaining the ruse of a ‘digital arrest’ for five days. During this period, the woman was threatened that if she did not transfer her savings to the gang's specified accounts, her life and the safety of her family would be in jeopardy.
Fearing for her safety, the woman complied and transferred a total of Rs 46 lakh in two instalments to various accounts provided by the scammers. Realising she had been duped, the victim complained to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and the local police. Commissioner Dandotia confirmed that the police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and are currently investigating the matter.
