A woman from Mumbai fell victim to a ‘digital arrest scam,’ losing Rs 20 crore to scammers, as reported by Media.
In December 2024, two men contacted the 86-year-old woman in South Mumbai, pretending to be police officers. They intimidated her by alleging that her Aadhaar card was involved in a money laundering scheme, scamming her to transfer funds to various bank accounts to resolve the issue.
According to the police, the fraudulent activity, amounting to Rs 20.25 crore, took place between December 26, 2024, and March 3, 2025.
“The callers claimed that her Aadhar card and other personal information had been used to open a bank account in her name at an Indian bank. They told her that a large-scale money laundering operation had been carried out using this account and that police action was imminent,” an investigating officer told Media.
To intimidate her, the suspects threatened to report her and her family, including her daughter, to the police. They employed tactics such as a fake ‘digital arrest’ to coerce her into transferring money to their accounts. The individuals involved have been identified as Shayan Jamil Sheikh, 20, from Malad (West), and Rajik Azam Butt from Mira Road (East). Both have been apprehended by the police.
A broader conspiracy
According to police sources, Butt is believed to be linked to a larger international scam. Authorities discovered that he had formed a group with 13 foreign individuals on the messaging platform Telegram, where he allegedly shared information about Indian bank accounts to facilitate fraudulent activities. Following the arrests of Shayan and Rajik, police examined their mobile devices and uncovered Butt’s ties to a global fraud network. Investigators found that he had established the Telegram group to relay Indian bank account details to scam leaders in other countries.
Officials stated that both suspects were part of an international fraud ring and played a direct role in orchestrating and executing the crime. They are currently probing how many additional bank accounts have been provided to the masterminds operating overseas.
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