PTI | Bengaluru
In what is said to be the largest digital arrest scam in Karnataka, a 57-year-old woman here allegedly lost Rs 31.83 crore in a sophisticated fraud that lasted over six months, following which a case has been registered.
Posing as CBI officers, the fraudsters enforced what is called as digital arrest by holding her under constant Skype surveillance. They used threats of arrest to coerce her into sharing all financial details and to make 187 bank transfers.
In her complaint, the software engineer of Indiranagar in the city stated that the ordeal lasted for over six months, until she got a ‘clearance letter’ from the fraudsters.
“In total, through 187 transactions I stand deprived of a total amount of approximately Rs 31.83 crore, which were deposited by me,” she said.
It began on September 15, 2024, with a call from a person claiming to be from DHL Andheri, alleging that a parcel booked in her name contained credit cards, passports and MDMA, and said her identity had been misused.
Before the woman could respond, the call was transferred to people posing as CBI officers, who threatened her and claimed “all evidence is against you”.
The impostors warned her against contacting the police, saying criminals were watching her home.
Fearing for her family and her son’s upcoming wedding, she remained silent. The woman was instructed to install two Skype IDs and remain on video.
A man identifying himself as Mohit Handa monitored her for two days, followed by Rahul Yadav, who watched her for a week.
Another impersonator, Pradeep Singh, posed as a senior CBI officer and pressured her to prove her innocence. The complainant further said the group appeared to know her phone activity and location, heightening her fear.
They told her to verify all her assets with the financial intelligence unit of the RBI and produced forged letters to make it appear official. From September 24 to October 22, the woman shared details of her finances and transferred large sums.
Between 24 October and 3 November, she deposited a supposed surety amount of Rs 2 crore, followed by further payments for “taxes”.
She was promised a clearance letter before her son’s engagement on December 6, and received a fake one. The pressure left the woman mentally and physically unwell.
Finally, the victim received the clearance letter on December 1, allowing the engagement to proceed. But she fell seriously ill after that, requiring a month of medical treatment to recover.
