67 year old doctor duped of Rs 1.79 crore in digital arrest fraud
Kalaburagi: A 67-year-old retired doctor from Karnataka was allegedly duped of Rs 1.79 crore in a ‘digital arrest’ scam after fraudsters posing as officials from investigative agencies accused him and his wife of being linked to money laundering and terror financing, police said.
The fraud reportedly began on July 14 when the doctor's wife received a call from a person claiming to represent a courier company. The caller alleged that an illegal parcel booked in her name was being sent to Mumbai and subsequently connected the couple to another person who claimed to be a senior officer of a fictitious cybercrime agency.
The caller allegedly informed the couple that their Aadhaar details had been misused to open a bank account involved in money laundering and terror financing allegedly linked to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI). The fraudsters then demanded money, claiming it was required to clear their names.
The alleged intimidation continued through WhatsApp video calls, during which the accused reportedly impersonated officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and National Investigation Agency (NIA). They allegedly warned the couple against disclosing the matter to anyone and invoked “national security” to make the alleged investigation appear genuine.
The fraudsters also allegedly obtained detailed information about the couple's finances and assets, including bank accounts, fixed deposits, LIC policies, gold and property holdings.
According to The Indian Express, as per the doctor’s complaint, filed on August 28, he and his wife were directed to transfer funds from various accounts. He closed his fixed deposits, withdrew the LIC money and later took a personal loan of Rs 50 lakh against his house. He claimed to have transferred a total of Rs 1.79 crore to the fraudsters.
The doctor reportedly realised he had been defrauded after his son, a software engineer based in Bengaluru, visited him on August 21 and informed him about similar digital arrest scams.
The Kalaburagi CEN police have registered a case concerning identity theft and cheating. Investigators are attempting to trace the money trail, freeze the suspected bank accounts and examine call records and other digital evidence.
