‘Fraudsters dressed as Mumbai police and ED officials threatened money laundering charges’: ex-accountant who worked in UK becomes latest victim of ‘digital arrest’

He claimed in the FIR that he received a video call on his WhatsApp number in the first week of October. The caller, identified as the Mumbai police, informed him that his role was under investigation in a money laundering case and requested all his details as per the complaint.

The fraudsters allegedly created a forged debit card in the victim’s name and contacted him, claiming that his card had been used in a money laundering case being investigated by several agencies, including the Mumbai police, ED, and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The victim said he was subjected to a ‘digital arrest’ from October 8 to October 11, during which he was forced to maintain secrecy about the situation.

The fraudsters allegedly sent several documents, including a warrant for the victim’s investigation and an agreement requiring him to transfer all his savings to verify the victim on his WhatsApp number. The victim initially trusted the bogus letters because they contained forged signatures and seals of government officials. On October 11, he made two transactions of Rs 7.19 lakh and Rs 7.80 lakh through RTGS, transferring the money to the bank account provided by the fraudsters, according to the police.

The scammers allegedly pressured the victim to transfer all his savings and instructed him to stay at home without telling anyone about the secret investigation. However, the victim began to sense that something was off. On October 11, after transferring the money, he informed one of his relatives, who then explained the modus operandi of the ‘digital arrest’ frauds.

The victim, along with the relative, approached Senior Inspector Nandkumar Gopale at the south cyber police Station. The police then blocked the funds in the fraudsters’ bank account in Rajasthan, said Sub Inspector Sachin Trimukhe, who is involved in the investigation. The police filed a case and began an investigation.

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