Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A former Madhya Pradesh minister was nearly duped by cyber fraudsters posing as officials of Mumbai Crime Branch.
The fraudsters digitally arrested the ex-minister by accusing him of involvement in a money laundering case and threatening him with legal action.
The cyber conmen called up the minister on Wednesday and falsely claimed that several SIM cards had been issued using his ID and were being used for illegal activities.
To scare him further, they sent him forged notices bearing the name of a ‘Supreme Court judge and central agencies—ED and CBI’.
Fearing arrest and a dent on his reputation, the politician panicked and got digitally arrested for over six hours and even followed the instructions of the scammers.
The ex-minister was released from the digital arrest when he called up a senior police official to verify the claims of the men posing as Crime Branch officials.
The senior official assured him that it was a scam call and asked him to disconnect the call immediately while helping him escape from being the victim of cyber fraud.
However, the former minister did not file a formal complaint with the police reportedly due to concerns over his reputation. Police officials said that further action will be taken if he approaches with a complaint in this connection.
