Surat: An 82-year-old retired man from Bardoli was allegedly duped of Rs 2.96 crore in a ‘digital arrest‘ fraud executed over nearly 20 days, after cybercriminals impersonating Mumbai cops and other agencies pressured him into transferring money for “verification” and to “stop” an arrest warrant. The fraud was carried out through multiple calls and transactions were made by the complainant by visiting the bank. But he did not inform anyone, fearing his arrest.According to the complaint, the victim, who had spent decades working abroad and had accumulated savings in an NRE account, received a WhatsApp message on Aug 8. The sender‘s name displayed was ‘24/7 helpline Mumbai Police headquarters,‘ and the message included an image of a purported Reserve Bank of India (RBI) letter. Shortly afterwards, he received a call from the same number. A woman, claiming to be from Mumbai Police, told him that a bank account had been opened using his Aadhaar details and that a Rs 122 crore scam had been carried out through it. She threatened to freeze all his bank accounts and said a man named Hitesh Mehta had been arrested, sharing images of an arrest.The caller then claimed the complainant was being ‘digitally arrested‘ and would be jailed in Mumbai for 10 years. Images of bank debit cards bearing the complainant’s name were sent, followed by an arrest warrant in his name. The document mentioned ED and CBI and accused him of money laundering, carrying a stamp and a signature purportedly of Chief Justice of Bombay High Court. The caller warned he was under 24-hour surveillance, claimed men were watching his home and instructed him not to contact a lawyer or the police, alleging he could be attacked or arrested without a warrant.On Aug 11, another caller introduced himself as DSP Anil Kumar. He sent another alleged RBI letter titled ‘priority inspection referring to case,‘ claiming they were stopping the arrest warrant. He was asked to transfer Rs 52.50 lakh via RTGS, which he did by visiting his bank. Further demands followed with an amount of Rs 21.50 lakh on Aug 13, Rs 92.50 lakh thereafter, Rs 90 lakh on Aug 20 and Rs 39.50 lakh on Aug 21. On Aug 30, the caller threatened to scrutinise his wife’s accounts and pushed him to break FDs. When the victim approached the bank manager to break an FD, he was alerted that it was possibly a scam after which he filed an FIR.The complainant told police he went to London in 1966 and worked there. He later moved to the US in 1981, worked as a motel manager in Mississippi and returned to India in 2007. His two sons and a daughter are settled in the US.
