Retired defence personnel loses Rs 1.8 crore in digital arrest fraud | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: An 81-year-old retired defence officer from east Bengaluru lost nearly Rs 1.8 crore in an online scam where fraudsters posing as law enforcement officers convinced him he was under “digital arrest.“The victim, Sharath (name changed), received a call on July 5 from someone claiming to be Sandeep Jadhav, a police officer from Colaba police station, Mumbai and the latter alleged Sharath’s Aadhaar number had been used to open a bank account linked to illegal transactions and harassment calls. Despite Sharath’s denial and mention of his defence background, the fraudster insisted that his identity was misused in a money laundering case tied to Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal.To add pressure, Sharath was connected to other fraudsters posing as officials from CBI and Enforcement Directorate. They told him the case involved high-profile individuals and claimed an arrest warrant had been issued in his name. To make the scenario believable, the fraudsters even conducted a WhatsApp video call from another number, showing a man in a police uniform seated in a mock police station with an ID card and documents purportedly linked to his arrest.Sharath was told he was under “digital arrest” and a virtual investigation would be conducted keeping in mind his age. The scammers warned him not to inform anyone, claiming his movements were being tracked and that he would be arrested in public if he failed to cooperate.Using fear and fabricated RBI rules, the fraudsters instructed Sharath to transfer funds to several bank accounts for verification purposes, assuring him the money would be returned once cleared. Believing the fraudsters, Sharath transferred money to five different accounts of four banks provided by the fraudsters between July 9 and 15, totalling to about Rs 1.8 crore. When the money wasn’t returned as promised, Sharath finally confided in family and friends, only to realise he had been duped. A complaint was subsequently filed at east CEN crime police station. Police have registered a case under various sections of the IT Act and BNS Section 318 (cheating) and are attempting to trace and freeze the fraudsters’ accounts.
