Mangaluru: A 79-year-old woman who had lost Rs 17 lakh to so-called digital arrest got back the entire amount within just a few days of the crime – thanks to some prompt action by Mangaluru City Police.Mithun H N, DCP (law and order), said police could act swiftly and recover the entire amount because the victim, with help from one of her neighbours, alerted the cops during what is commonly referred to as the ‘golden hour’ after such crimes are committed. Immediately after police were alerted, the beneficiary’s bank account was frozen, and in four days’ time, the full amount was returned to the complainant’s account. On Oct 23, the elderly woman from Bejai had received a call from an unknown person, who claimed that a warrant had been issued against her, and threatened her with arrest unless she deposited Rs 17 lakh into a certain bank account for “verification”. The victim was also warned against disclosing the matter to anyone else, the DCP said. The fraudster, who appeared purportedly in a police uniform, kept the victim engaged for five hours over the WhatsApp call. Since the victim had no access to any UPI app, the accused instructed her to visit her bank physically, foreclose a fixed deposit and transfer the amount. Accordingly, she transferred Rs 17 lakh on the same day to the account number provided.Later that day, one of the neighbours of the victim, who had come to know about the money transfer from her, took her to CEN police station and a complaint was registered after dialing 1930 — the cybercrime helpline. Soon, police swung into action and froze Rs 17 lakh in the beneficiary’s account. On Oct 27, following a court order, the frozen amount was returned to the victim’s account. “People should stay alert and avoid falling prey to such scams. Dial 1930 or contact the nearest police station immediately in case of any cyberattack,” the DCP cautioned. He further clarified that neither the police nor any Central agency will ever resort to “digital arrest”, and no agency can ever demand money transfers or deposits through such means. He also advised people to always be on the guard against digital investments, call-merging, and SIM-swapping frauds.
