Under digital arrest for 11 days, Bengaluru woman breaks three FDs to pay fraudsters Rs 30 lakh

Bengaluru: A 46-year-old woman in eastern Bengaluru was held under ‘digital arrest’ for 11 days, forced to break three Fixed Deposits (FDs) and conned of over Rs 30 lakh by cybercriminals impersonating CBI and Mumbai police officials. 

Lavina P (name changed), a housewife from Indiranagar realised the con four days after the scamsters ceased all communication when she came across an online news article about the ‘digital arrest’ scam, according to police investigators, even as her husband and family remained oblivious to her situation. 

Lavina told the police that on December 3, around 10.45 am, she received an IVR call “from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)”. She was asked to press 9 or else her number would be disconnected and her bank accounts frozen. 

Lavina was then connected to one Vinod Kumar, who claimed to be with TRAI and shared an “FIR number” with her claiming that a SIM card purchased in Mumbai in her name was used to send harassment messages. She was asked to note down the FIR details and her call was “transferred to the Pant Nagar police station in Mumbai”. 

Next, a person named Aditya Keshav told Lavina he was a police sub-inspector at the Pant Nagar station and began interrogating her over the phone. He allegedly told Lavina she had to be in Mumbai within five hours or else stay under digital arrest. Since she was unable to travel, she was “placed” under digital arrest. 

She was then connected on a video call with “CBI ACP Pradeep Kumar”, who accused her of money laundering and “interrogated” her for five hours. She was told to transfer all her money and savings to be verified by “The Supreme Court of India Auditor”. 

Initially, she wired Rs 99,000. On December 4, 5 and 7, Lavina broke FDs worth Rs 10 lakh, Rs 9 lakh and Rs 8.5 lakh, respectively, and transferred them to the fraudsters based on their insistence. 

She was informed that her money matched “serial numbers in money laundering” and was asked to pay a Rs 20-lakh penalty or face arrest. She was allegedly told to sell her house and settle the amount. 

On December 13 and 14, Lavina transferred Rs 90,000, the final balance in her bank account. On December 15, she found out that the Skype ID used for video calls was deactivated. “She approached the police on December 19 after seeing an online article about the scam,” a police officer told DH.

A case has been registered.