Digital arrest scam: A 39-year-old software engineer fell victim to a digital arrest scam, losing Rs 11.8 crore police said on Monday. Fraudsters posing as police officers informed him that his Aadhaar card was being misused to open bank accounts for money laundering. The fraud occurred between November 25 and December 12.
How did software engineer become victim of digital arrest?
According to police, in his complaint, on November 11 the victim received a call from a person who claimed to be an officer of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The alleged officer told the software engineer that his SIM card, linked to his Aadhaar card, had been used for illegal advertisements and harassment messages.
The fraudster further alleged that a case was registered in connection with this at Colaba Cyber Police Station in Mumbai.
As per the FIR, he later got a call from a person claiming to be a police officer alleging that his Aadhaar details were being misused to open bank accounts for money laundering. The fraudster warned the software engineer to keep the matter confidential and allegedly threatened him with physical arrest if he did not cooperate with the virtual investigation.
Then, he also got a call from a person asking him to download the Skype app following which a man, allegedly dressed in Mumbai police uniform video-called him and claimed that a businessman had opened a bank account using his Aadhaar to conduct transactions worth Rs 6 crore, the FIR further stated.
Victim transferred Rs 11.8 crore
On November 25, another individual, claiming to be in police uniform, contacted the software engineer via Skype. He stated that the case was being heard in the top court and threatened to arrest his family if he did not comply, according to the complainant. The fraudsters, citing fake Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines, allegedly instructed him to transfer funds to specific accounts for "verification purposes," warning of legal consequences if he failed to do so.
According to the FIR, the victim transferred a total of Rs 11.8 crore in multiple transactions to various bank accounts over a period of time, driven by the fear of arrest. However, when the fraudsters began demanding additional funds, the victim realised he had been deceived and promptly lodged a complaint with the police.
A case has been registered under the IT Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating and cheating by impersonation, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
(With PTI inputs)
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