Video Alert Helps Mulund Man Foil ₹12 Lakh 'Digital Arrest' Scam
A 69-year-old Mulund resident allegedly lost Rs 12 lakh after cybercriminals posing as police, ATS and CBI officials placed him under a so-called digital arrest and threatened him with arrest and property seizure. He realised he had been scammed after his wife watched a cybercrime awareness video and subsequently reported the fraud through helpline 1930.
Video Alert Helps Mulund Man Foil ₹12 Lakh 'Digital Arrest' Scam | Representative Image
Mumbai: A video warning about cybercriminals impersonating senior police officers and using the digital arrest tactic helped a 69-year-old Mulund resident realise that he had been trapped in a cyber scam and lost Rs 12 lakh.
The victim, Mahesh Anantrao Salvi, a retired Shipping Corporation of India employee, was allegedly intimidated for days by callers posing as police, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials.
Callers pose as police officials
According to the FIR, Salvi received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number on September 22. The caller claimed to be speaking from Mumbai Police Headquarters and subsequently connected him to persons claiming to be officials from the Lucknow ATS. One of them, identified as Ranjit Kumar, allegedly told Salvi that a Canara Bank debit card issued in his name had been used for transactions worth Rs 2 crore.
The callers also allegedly claimed that a SIM card registered in Salvi’s name was being used for illegal activities. To make their claims appear genuine, they sent him purported official documents on WhatsApp, including a document bearing the name of the Supreme Court of India.
The accused allegedly obtained photographs of Salvi’s Aadhaar card, bank passbook and fixed deposit details. They also allegedly threatened him with arrest, death, seizure of his property and the arrest of his relatives if he disclosed the matter to anyone.
Victim kept under digital arrest
Salvi was allegedly instructed to remain connected with the callers through video calls and to seek their permission before leaving his home. On September 23, another person, identified as Rajesh Sharma, allegedly joined the conversation and claimed to be a CBI officer.
The accused allegedly told Salvi that he could avoid arrest by depositing money as per purported “Supreme Court guidelines”. Under pressure, Salvi withdrew Rs 11 lakh from his fixed deposit and transferred the amount to a bank account provided by the callers. He later transferred another Rs 1 lakh through a scanner shared by them.
Warning video exposes scam
The deception was uncovered on September 28 when Salvi’s wife came across a video warning people about cybercriminals impersonating senior police officers and placing victims under digital arrest. After watching it, the couple realised that they had been targeted in a similar scam.
They immediately approached the cybercrime authorities and lodged a complaint through 1930, the national cybercrime helpline.
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Police trace money trail
The East Region Cyber Police have registered a case against the unidentified callers, beneficiary bank account holders and alleged operators of the accounts under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. Police are now tracing the money trail and investigating the identities of those involved.
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