A shocking case of cyber fraud has come to light in Nashik, where two senior citizens were deceived of around Rs 6.72 crore through a “digital arrest” scam. The fraudsters allegedly posed as law enforcement officials. They even made it appear as though the victims were being presented before the Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Bhushan Gavai via an online hearing.
According to reports, in the first incident, a senior citizen from the Gangapur Road area received a video call. The callers claimed that obscene photos and videos had been circulated using his SIM card. They further threatened that he would have to appear before the Supreme Court over the issue. Terrified by the situation, the elderly man was coerced into transferring Rs 6 crore to the fraudsters.
In the second case, the scammers told another victim, Anil Lalsare, that a credit card had been issued using his Aadhaar details and that financial irregularities had been committed through it. The fraudsters warned that if he failed to pay a penalty, a CBI team would arrest him and take him to Delhi. Fearing legal trouble, Lalsare transferred Rs 72 lakh through RTGS to the accounts provided by the fraudsters.
Both cases have been registered with the Cyber Police, who are now investigating the scam.
A key common element in both incidents was that the fraudsters pretended to “present” the victims online before the Chief Justice’s court, using fake visuals and legal jargon to intimidate them into paying large sums. The victims, convinced that they were part of an official legal proceeding, ended up transferring their life savings.
