Bhopal News: 74-Year-Old Senior Citizen Loses Rs 52L In Digital Arrest Scam

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Cyber criminals duped a 74-year-old resident of Saket Nagar, making him transfer Rs 52 lakh under the pretext of a “digital arrest.” Rajendra Singh, living in Panchwati Complex, was mentally harassed for four days by fraudsters posing as ATS and Crime Branch officers, who falsely accused him of funding terrorism.

Following his complaint on Saturday, Cyber Crime Police registered a case against unknown users of the accounts and WhatsApp numbers involved.

Singh told police that on November 28, he received a WhatsApp video call showing “ATS Department.” The caller, claiming to be from Jehangirabad Police Station, alleged that a bank account had been opened in his name using his Aadhaar card and used to fund terrorists in Pulwama, Kashmir. They warned that arrest warrants had been issued against him and his wife and threatened immediate action if they failed to cooperate.

Fraudsters promised a home-based “digital arrest” due to the couple’s age and obtained details of all bank accounts, fixed deposits, post office policies and other financial documents. Under pressure, Singh broke deposits and policies, transferring money to accounts specified by the criminals, who claimed it would go to a government account for RBI verification and be returned after the inquiry.

On December 2, Singh transferred Rs 25 lakh via RTGS, followed by Rs 27 lakh on December 6. Despite receiving the funds, the fraudsters continued making threatening calls from various WhatsApp numbers.

Following his complaint, Cyber Crime Police registered a case against unknown users of the accounts and WhatsApp numbers involved.