Ex-govt officer dies of shock in Pune after scammers dupe Rs 1 cr life savings in digital arrest fraud
Pune: An 82-year-old former state government officer died of shock after he found that he and his 80-year-old wife had been cheated of Rs 1.19 crore in a digital arrest scam, media reports said.
The digital arrest took place between August 16 and September 17 by fraudsters, posturing as Mumbai Cyber Police and CBI officials, NDTV reported, adding that the couple remained under digital arrest for three days.
The couple has three daughters, who live abroad.
The scammers made the couple believe that they were under investigation for money laundering.
The victim’s wife filed a complaint on Tuesday. She informed the police that her husband was deeply stressed after the loss of their life savings and relentless harassment by the scammers.
According to the complaint, the elderly victim collapsed on October 22 and was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
How the Fraud Happened
The scam unfolded on August 16, when an elderly man received a call from someone posing as an “encounter specialist” with the Mumbai Police.
The caller claimed that the man’s bank account and Aadhaar details had been used in a money-laundering case linked to a private airline.
According to Senior Inspector Swapnali Shinde of the Pune Cyber Police, the victim then received another call from a different fraudster who pretended to be an IPS officer from the CBI’s Delhi office.
The caller alleged that the man and his wife were implicated in a money-laundering case and warned that they would be placed under “home arrest” or “jail arrest.”
The conmen ordered the victim to keep his phone camera on at all times, effectively keeping the couple under a “digital arrest” for three days.
During this period, the fraudsters obtained their banking and Aadhaar details and forced them to transfer money to five different bank accounts.
By the end of the ordeal, the scammers had wiped out the couple’s savings, including money sent by their daughters from abroad.
When the calls abruptly stopped, the couple realised they had been cheated.
They then contacted one of their daughters, who urged them to approach the police.
Digital arrest is false: No one can be arrested over phone
Cybercrime expert Rohan Nyayadhish told NDTV that citizens must understand that no one can be arrested over a phone call, nor can any authority demand personal credentials or money.
“People need to know that no one can arrest them over phone calls. No one has the right to demand credentials or money. Always verify such calls with local police before reacting,” he advised.
Nyayadhish further cautioned that many fraudsters are operating from smaller cities using SIM cards and VPNs to conceal their identities. “Citizens must be alert and not panic,” he added.
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