Forced to take ‘oath of secrecy’ on camera: Elderly couple lose Rs 2.58 crore in digital arrest fraud

Initially, the husband received a video call from someone wearing a police uniform seated in a police station setting. He identified himself as ‘Inspector Pradeep Sawant of Mumbai Crime Branch.’ The fraudster told the victim that his name had been flagged in the ‘Rs 500 crore Naresh Goyal case.’ On pretext of investigating the phoney case, the fraudster manipulated the victim into sharing all his and his wife’s personal and financial information including savings, land holdings, gold possessions, investments etc. The couple were told that they both were under investigation and that they had been placed under ‘surveillance and digital arrest.’

Subsequently, the couple were made to sit before a phone camera and were made to take an oath of secrecy that they will not share information ‘about ongoing probe against them’ with anyone. Investigators said such fraudulent tactics made the unsuspecting couple further get pressured into following directions of the fraudsters. The two were told that to clear their name from the case, they will have to deposit their assets to ‘RBI accounts’ for verification.

Over the next 10 to 12 days, the couple were forced into making huge transfers to mule accounts and were told that the money would be returned immediately after the probe was over. Police said that the couple were forced to liquidate their stock investments and fixed deposits and mortgage gold for loan to continue paying the fraudsters, investigators said. At one point the complainant gathered courage to call his lawyer to ask if any information about the case could be obtained from RBI. As the complainant told the sequence, the lawyer made him realise that he had been cheated. The complainant then approached the police and an FIR was registered at Cyber crime police station of Pune city.

Officials have repeatedly expressed concern that despite extensive awareness campaigns and sensitisation efforts by the government and law enforcement agencies, incidents of digital arrest, online extortion and blackmail continue to be reported. These scams are typically carried out by cyber criminals impersonating officials from law enforcement agencies such as the police, CBI, Narcotics Department, RBI, and Enforcement Directorate and judges. Express has reported these scams are orchestrated by complex, multilayered syndicates operating across borders. Victims’ money is often funneled into mule accounts and then routed to international cybercrime networks through cryptocurrency channels.