A planned fraud operation, carried out under the guise of a ‘digital arrest,’ had been ongoing for nearly a week. An international fraud ring targeted a retired employee of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, setting a trap for him. However, sensing the danger, the 65-year-old man, a resident of Howrah near Kolkata managed to escape and saved Rs 28 lakhs in his bank account by rushing to the police station while still on a video call with the fraudsters. He was saved from a significant financial loss thanks to the prompt action of the Howrah Cyber Crime and Malipanchghara police station.
How the ‘digital arrest’ happened?
According to police sources, the retired employee, a resident of Howrah’s Malipanchghara police station area, received a phone call on January 20 informing him that his phone number had been used in multiple fraudulent activities in Maharashtra. He was threatened with arrest on these charges. He was then brought onto a video call, where fraudsters posing as Mumbai Crime Branch officers continuously pressured him under the pretext of a ‘digital arrest.’
They even claimed that the case had reached the Supreme Court to further instil fear in the victim. Believing the words of the fraudsters, the senior citizen broke his fixed deposits in three banks and transferred approximately 28 lakh rupees to his own account.
On Wednesday, he was being pressured to transfer the money by fraudsters over a video call. However, he grew suspicious from their words and quickly planned of a way to escape. Leaving his mobile phone at home while the video call was still ongoing, the elderly man rushed to the nearby Malipanchghara police station.
The cybercrime branch immediately took action. His mobile SIM card was quickly removed, and the UPI details of his three bank accounts were changed. As a result, the fraudsters were unable to steal the money from his account. An officer from the Howrah City Police Cyber Crime unit stated that this fraud ring was likely operating from Cambodia.
Despite increased awareness about digital fraud, senior citizens are still falling into these traps. In many cases, victims delay reporting the incident to the police even after losing money. Police have advised the public to remain vigilant and to contact the police immediately if they receive any suspicious phone calls or video calls, instead of panicking.
77-year-old cheated of Rs 35 lakh in a digital arrest near Kolkata
A 77-year-old university professor was cheated of Rs 35 lakh in a digital arrest fraud and was under house arrest for almost two weeks since the first week of Jan. A resident of Salt Lake near Kolkata, the victim is a former pro-Vice Chancellor of Jadavpur University. Police said the victim and his wife were duped by crooks who impersonated officials of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and law enforcement agencies.
They also threatened him with arrest under the National Security Act. According to police, between Jan 1 and Jan 14, he received multiple calls from fraudsters who allegedly threatened him with arrest in a fabricated criminal case, accusing him of having links with Sadakat Khan, an accused arrested last year in connection with a human trafficking racket operating out of Cambodia and linked to cybercrime syndicates.