Retired govt employee loses Rs 37 lakh in digital arrest

CHIKKAMAGALURU: A retired government employee in Sringeri lost Rs 37 lakh after being ‘digitally arrested’ by cyber fraudsters who were posing as CBI officials from Delhi.

The scammers made a WhatsApp video call and claimed that the victim’s Aadhaar card was being used for money laundering. They threatened the victim, showed a fake CBI ID card and asked him not to call back.

The scammers convinced the victim to transfer Rs 37 lakh from his and his wife’s bank accounts to a fake RBI account, promising to return the money after verification. The victim did not report the incident for six months, and realised that he had been scammed only when the money was not returned.

He then filed a complaint with the Sringeri police station. With cybercrime cases on the rise, the Chikkamagaluru police have appealed to the public to report any such incidents to the helpline number 1930.