“Digital Arrest” Scam: Three Hubballi Residents Fall Prey to Cyber Fraud, Lose ₹1.67 Crore

Hubballi: Three residents of Hubballi have fallen victim to a “Digital Arrest” scam, collectively losing ₹1,67,15,286. The Cyber Crime Police have registered three separate cases related to this scam, each involving significant financial loss.

In the first case, a 76-year-old retired resident named Venkatesh was targeted by cybercriminals. According to the FIR, he received a WhatsApp call on September 20 from an individual claiming to be a CBI officer. The caller alleged that Venkatesh’s bank account was involved in suspicious transactions, resulting in a PMLA (Public Money Laundering Act) case filed against him at the Supreme Court in Delhi. The scammer further claimed that an arrest warrant had been issued.

To make the ruse believable, the fraudster instructed Venkatesh to stay on a video call continuously and report his activities hourly. Under the guise of preventing arrest, the scammer coerced him into transferring ₹78,60,000 from three bank accounts to a designated account between September 23 and October 15, 2024.

In the second case, Akshay, a software engineer from the city, lost ₹81,06,286. Police reports indicate that Akshay received a WhatsApp call on October 22 from someone pretending to be a courier executive. The caller claimed a parcel containing illegal items was en route to Taiwan in his name, escalating the call to a supposed crime branch officer, “Pradeep Sawant,” and subsequently to an individual posing as DCP Milind Bharambe.

The fraudsters informed Akshay that his bank accounts were linked to a criminal named Mohammed Ismail, necessitating a “digital arrest.” In a state of panic, he was coerced into transferring ₹81.06 lakh to the scammer.

In the third case, Deven, an employee at a private firm in the city, lost ₹7.49 lakh through a similar scam where he was threatened with “digital arrest.”