Hyderabad: 81-year-old retired businessman loses Rs 7 Cr in digital arrest scam

Hyderabad: Cybercriminals posing as law enforcement officials extorted Rs seven crore from an 81-year-old retired businessman by threatening him with `digital arrest’ on false charges of drug trafficking, terrorism, and money laundering.

A case has been registered following the victim’s complaint, and an investigation is underway.

Bogus courier allegation

According to the complaint, the victim, a resident of Somajiguda, received a WhatsApp call on October 27 last year.

The caller claimed that a courier booked from Mumbai to Bangkok in the victim’s name contained a laptop, clothes, multiple passports, and narcotics.

When the elderly man denied sending any such parcel and disconnected the call, he was soon contacted by another person claiming to be from the Mumbai Police.

Fake police threats

The second caller accused the victim of involvement in drug trafficking, money laundering, and terror-related activities, asserting that the police had “strong evidence” against him.

The fraudsters told him that a probe was underway and that he had been placed under a “digital arrest,” warning him not to leave his house. They insisted on continuous video calls to monitor his movements.

Money taken in the name of verification

To “verify” his financial transactions, the scammers initially forced the victim to transfer Rs 19.80 lakh. On October 29, they contacted him again, claiming discrepancies in his financial records, and persuaded him to download the Signal app using a link they sent.

Through this app, they continued to intimidate him and convinced him to transfer Rs 7.12 crore from his mutual funds and fixed deposits, assuring him the amount would be returned after scrutiny.

Fresh demand raises suspicion

After receiving the money, the fraudsters stopped communicating, and the Signal app was deleted from the victim’s phone. On December 29, they resurfaced, demanding an additional Rs 1.2 crore to “close the case.”

This raised the victim’s suspicion. He later came across a newspaper report on “digital arrest” frauds and realised he had been cheated.

Case registered, probe on

The victim lodged a complaint through the 1930 cybercrime helpline. Officials of the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau registered a case and launched an investigation. DSP KVM Prasad said efforts are on to trace the accused and track the money trail.

Police Advisory

Cybercrime officials reiterated that there is no legal concept called “digital arrest” and urged the public, particularly senior citizens, not to panic or transfer money based on threatening calls or messages claiming to be from police or central agencies.