Retired army man's wife falls victim to digital arrest, duped of Rs 38 lakh
A 79-year-old woman was tricked into transferring Rs 38 lakh after fraudsters posed as Mumbai ATS officers and linked her to a terror case. The case has been reported to Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police, who are investigating the interstate gang behind the scam.
Despite extensive government and police campaigns warning senior citizens about digital arrest scams, cyber fraudsters continue to find new ways to target the elderly. In a fresh case, the 79-year-old wife of a retired army man was digitally arrested after cybercriminals falsely claimed that she had links to a terrorist and forced her to transfer Rs 38 lakh.
FAKE ATS CALL AND TERROR LINK CLAIM
According to the police complaint, the incident began on July 2, when the woman was alone at home and received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number.
The caller introduced himself as ACP Ashok Yadav of the Mumbai ATS. He told the woman that authorities had recovered Rs 58 crore from a captured terrorist. The caller then claimed that 10 per cent of the recovered money had been transferred to the woman's bank account.
The allegation left the elderly woman facing the threat of being linked to a terrorist and an investigation involving a huge sum of money.
When she said she was unable to travel to Mumbai for the investigation, the fraudsters changed their approach.
The fraudsters then made a video call while appearing in police uniforms and displaying the ATS logo. They told the woman that she had to remain in front of the camera until the investigation was completed.
During the interaction, the callers addressed her respectfully as an elderly woman, which helped them gain her trust. They continued to maintain the appearance of an official investigation and kept her engaged on the video call.
The fraudsters also obtained her identity documents and complete bank account details during the process.
FAKE POLICE LETTER, THREATS AND RS 38 LAKH TRANSFER
The cybercriminals then told the woman that the money in her bank account had to be deposited into a government bank account as part of the investigation.
They assured her that if she was found innocent, the money would be returned to her with interest.
Frightened by the threats and a fake official police letter shown to her, the woman followed their instructions. She transferred a total of Rs 38 lakh to the bank account provided by the fraudsters, making the payments in instalments.
The scammers used the threat of a terrorist connection and the appearance of an official police investigation to convince her that the transfers were necessary.
FAMILY REALISES IT WAS A CYBER FRAUD
It was only after the money had been transferred that the woman became suspicious about the entire episode. She informed her family, who realised that she had been targeted in a major cyber fraud.
The matter was subsequently reported to the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police Station.
Police have launched an investigation into the case and are working to identify and expose the interstate cyber gang behind the fraud.