Digital Arrest Scam: 71-Year-Old Pune Resident Loses ₹22 Lakh

Pune: Threatening him with a fictitious ‘digital arrest’ and accusing him of involvement in a child trafficking case, a cyber fraudster posing as a senior police and CBI officer allegedly cheated a 71-year-old Pune resident of ₹22 lakh.

According to the police, the fraud took place between October 5 and 15. The victim lodged a complaint with Vishrantwadi Police Station on Wednesday, following which a case was registered against an unidentified person.

The accused allegedly contacted the senior citizen and introduced himself as a senior police officer from Karnataka as well as an officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He then claimed that the victim's SIM card had been misused in a child trafficking case and threatened him with serious legal consequences.

Under the pretext of conducting a ‘digital verification’ of his financial transactions, the fraudster asked the victim to deposit money as a security amount, assuring him that it would be returned after verification. He allegedly threatened to place the senior citizen under ‘digital arrest’ and pressured him into transferring ₹22 lakh to multiple bank accounts provided by him.

Following the complaint, Vishrantwadi Police registered a case under Sections 319(2) (cheating by personation) and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.

The police are investigating the case. However, no arrests have been made so far.