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In a ‘rare case’, Japanese national in Bengaluru loses Rs 35 lakh in digital arrest

According to the police, Bengaluru residents have lost Rs 1,806 crore to cybercrimes as of November 30.

The death occurred just days after the recent suicide case of Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash.

A 59-year-old Japanese national working in Bengaluru was allegedly defrauded of Rs 35.49 lakh after being threatened and placed under “digital arrest” by cybercriminals. The Bengaluru police described the case as rare, noting that “digital arrest” is a non-existent concept under Indian law.

The police said Hiroshi Sasaki, an employee of a private firm in Bellandur, has been living in Bengaluru for six years on an employment visa. In his complaint, Sasaki said he received a call from an unknown number at around 9 am on December 12. The caller introduced himself as an official of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and claimed Sasaki’s phone number was about to be disconnected.

The call was quickly transferred to individuals impersonating officers from the Mumbai police’s cybercrime branch. Over the WhatsApp call, the fraudsters also accused Sasaki of being involved in a money-laundering case and threatened him with arrest. The cybercriminals sent Sasaki forged documents resembling those from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Mumbai police, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

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Fearing legal trouble, Sasaki transferred Rs 35.49 lakh to the scammers in multiple transactions between December 12 and 14 via RTGS and UPI. He was assured the money would be refunded once the “investigation” concluded. However, when no refund materialised, he approached the police.

The Southeast Cyber, Economic, and Narcotics (CEN) crime police registered a case under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Preliminary investigations revealed that the primary accounts used by the scammers had no funds remaining. “Efforts are underway to trace the trail of the stolen money and identify the culprits,” a senior police officer said.

According to the police, Bengaluru residents have lost Rs 1,806 crore to cybercrimes as of November 30. They said even though the number of such cases has gone down compared to last year, residents have lost over 168 per cent more amount or Rs 5.40 crore than in 2023 to cybercrimes every day.

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