Octogenarian with cancer targeted in digital arrest scam, loses Rs 1.27 crore

Scam through ‘WhatsApp’ call

A few weeks back, the complainant received a WhatsApp video call. The cyber fraudster who was wearing a police uniform and was seen seated in a setting looking like a police station, identified himself as Inspector Laxman from Mumbai police. The fraudster told the victim that ‘Mumbai police were probing a case against Vijay Mallya and that victim’s Aadhar, PAN cards and bank accounts numbers have been flagged in their probe’. The fraudster claimed that this linked the victim in the case against Mallya.

When the complainant pleaded that he was very old and a cancer patient, the fraudster further piled on saying his name was also being probed in cases of rape, murder along with money laundering. The fraudster then started sending fake documents like FIRs and started asking the victim all his personal and financial information.

The victim was subsequently asked to go alone in a room of his house, lock the room and remain on the video call intermittently saying his movements will be watched as part of digital arrest. The fraudster told him that the Reserve Bank of India, Income Tax department and a court will clear his name from the case, after they analyse his savings, deposits and investments.

Over a period of a month, the victim was manipulated into making as many as 13 transactions totalling Rs 1.27 crores to mule accounts which were given to him as accounts of the RBI or IT Department. Recently when one of the victims’ sons came to India to accompany him for his ongoing cancer treatment, the victim was told that he had been targeted in a Cyber scam. The family subsequently approached the police and an FIR was registered.

Inspector Swapnali Shinde is investigating the case.

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.

Such frauds have been serious enough to be flagged at the highest levels, including by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address. As previously reported by Express, 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.