Mumbai Cyber Fraud: 81-Year-Old Man Duped Of ₹10 Lakh In Digital Arrest Scam; Case Registered

Mumbai: An 81-year-old man recently lost Rs 10 lakh in a digital arrest fraud after scammers accused him of being involved in money laundering and human trafficking.

According to the FIR registered at Santacruz police station, the complainant Chandrakant M, currently living in Santacruz West received a WhatsApp video call from an unknown number on December 9.

The caller, claiming to be from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), frightened the elderly, who recently returned to India from Hong Kong, by falsely alleging his involvement in money laundering and human trafficking. The scammer further told him that he was under house arrest, and his mobile phone would be switched off in two hours.

The complainant was induced to transfer Rs 10 lakh to a South Indian Bank account in Kudasan, Gujarat, claiming it was a necessary step to avoid further legal trouble. Believing the threat, the complainant transferred the money from his Bank of India account at the Santacruz branch. After the transfer, when the complainant attempted to call back, the scammers’ phones were switched off, and he realised it was a scam.

The police have registered the case under sections 318(4) (cheating), and 319(2) (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with the relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.