A senior citizen from Maharashtra’s Thane district has fallen victim to a cyber fraud that relied on fear and impersonation rather than technical hacking. Police said a 68 year old man was cheated of ₹23.5 lakh after being threatened with a so called “digital arrest” through WhatsApp video calls.
According to officials, the incident took place between December 8 and 12, when 2 unidentified individuals contacted the victim and claimed to be law enforcement officers. They alleged that his bank transactions were suspicious and linked to serious irregularities. The callers warned that failure to cooperate would result in a digital arrest.
Under pressure and fear, the victim was persuaded to make multiple online transfers to accounts shared by the fraudsters. The money was sent on the pretext of settling the issue and avoiding legal action.
After discussing the incident with acquaintances, the man realised he had been deceived and approached the police. Maharashtra Police registered a case at the Mahatma Phule Police Station under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and began an investigation.
Explaining the method, police said a digital arrest scam involves criminals posing as police or other government officials. Victims are psychologically detained through continuous audio or video calls and threatened with arrest or imprisonment unless immediate payments are made.
Assistant Inspector Vinod Patil said bank transaction records, call data and other digital evidence are being examined to trace the accused. Investigators are also analysing the accounts used to receive the funds.
Police noted that this is the second digital arrest related fraud reported in the district this week, highlighting the growing frequency of such scams and the increasing confidence of cyber criminals.
Authorities have issued a safety advisory, especially for senior citizens. They urged people not to trust calls claiming to be from government agencies, to never make payments under threats of arrest, and to avoid sharing bank or UPI details. Citizens were also advised to report suspicious calls to the 1930 cybercrime helpline and contact the nearest police station.
Police said the investigation is being fast tracked and assured that strict action will be taken once the accused are identified.
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