Mumbai Woman In US Loses ₹84 Lakh In 'Digital Arrest' Scam

A 33-year-old Indian woman living in the United States was duped of USD 94,000 (around Rs84 lakh) by cybercriminals posing as police officers. The scammers, believed to be operating from India, kept her under “digital arrest” and coerced her into transferring money through cryptocurrency.

The victim, a software developer from Borivali (West), currently working in New Jersey, received a call last week claiming that a gun had been purchased using her credit card. She initially ignored it as a scam, but the next day, she received another call from an Indian number. The caller, introducing himself as an officer from the Delhi Cyber Crime Department, accused her of involvement in a Rs25.8 lakh money-laundering case linked to businessman Naresh Goyal and threatened arrest.

The fraudster made a video call showing what appeared to be a police station background. He convinced the woman to remain under constant video surveillance, calling it a “digital arrest.” He then instructed her to buy a new phone and SIM card, share her bank details, and open a Bitcoin account, assuring her the money would be returned once the case was “resolved.”

Over a few days, she transferred USD 94,000 in four cryptocurrency transactions to what she was told was a “special account.” She later realised she had been scammed.

When she approached the cyber police in New Jersey, they refused to register a case, citing that the funds were transferred to Indian accounts.