Hubballi Reports Another Digital Arrest Scam, Retired Employee Loses Rs 10 Lakh

Hubballi: A 77-year-old retired employee has become the latest victim of a digital arrest scam, marking the fifth such incident reported in the twin cities over the past 15 days. The victim, a resident of Shanti Nagar in Bengeri, lost Rs 10.2 lakh to scammers between October 23 and October 25.

The fraud began on October 23 when the victim received a call from an unknown number. The caller identified himself as Surya Prakash from the BSNL office in Delhi. He claimed that a SIM card with the number 8527655638 was registered in the victim’s name in Delhi and was allegedly used in criminal activities. He informed the victim that a case had been filed against him.

The scammer then connected the victim to another caller posing as Delhi PSI Sanjaykumar, who later transferred the call to a so-called CBI officer named Sumedha Trivedi via WhatsApp video. The fraudsters intimidated the victim, and kept him under digital arrest and made him to comply. Under pressure, the victim transferred Rs 10.2 lakh from multiple bank accounts into the scammers’ accounts.

Realizing he had been defrauded, the victim approached the police and filed a complaint.