Mumbai: 86-year-old woman loses Rs 20 crore to digital arrest

The accused persons had also forced the victim to stay at home for two months and checked her location daily by calling her every three hours, the police said

Mumbai: An 86-year-old woman from south Mumbai lost more than Rs 20 crore of her savings over two months to a ‘digital arrest’ fraud, police said on Thursday.

One of the fraudsters posed as a ‘CBI officer’ to extort money from the woman, they said, adding three persons have been arrested in connection with the crime which took place between December 26, 2024 and March 3 this year.

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The accused persons had also forced the victim to stay at home for two months and checked her location daily by calling her every three hours, an official said.

The cyber police managed to freeze Rs 77 lakh belonging to the woman by identifying the bank accounts to which the money was transferred, he added.

‘Digital arrest’ is a new and growing form of cyber fraud in which fraudsters pose as law enforcement officials or personnel of government agencies, and intimidate victims through audio/video calls. They hold the victims hostage and put pressure on the victims to make payment.

As per the police complaint filed by the woman earlier this month, she had received a call from a man, who claimed to be a CBI officer, and told her that based on her Aadhaar card, a bank account was opened which was used for money laundering.

The man then told her that the case was being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and she should stay in her room while threatening her with ‘digital arrest’. He also threatened to arrest her children, the official said.

A domestic help at the woman’s house observed her behaviour as she used to come out of her room only for food and shout at someone in her room. The maid then informed the woman’s daughter about it, he said. The fraudsters asked the elderly woman to share with them her bank details under the pretext of verifying funds of her account which were connected to criminal activity, the official said.

They allegedly extorted Rs 20.26 crore from her over a period of two months, citing various reasons including clearing her name from the “case” and court fees, he said. The fraudsters promised to refund the amount after completion of the “probe”, the official said.

While investigating the case, the cyber police found the money was transferred to various bank accounts, including one of Shayan Jamil Shaikh (20), resident of Malad, he said.

The police said Rs 4.99 lakh was transferred to Shaikh’s account, which he had withdrawn and handed over to another fraudster. The cyber police recently tracked down Shaikh and after his arrest and interrogation, they also nabbed another accused Razique Azan Butt (20), resident of Mira Road in neighbouring Thane.

The police on Wednesday identified one more accused, Hritik Shekhar Thakur (25), resident of Andheri area, in whose account Rs 9 lakh was transferred, and arrested him late at night, he said. Thakur admitted to the withdrawal of Rs 9 lakh from an SBI account, which was transferred by his aides after duping the woman, the official said.

The cyber police suspect Butt was part of an international racket of cyber fraudsters, he said. They have also identified two more accused to whom notices have been issued under Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Section 35 (when police may arrest without warrant), the official said.