Elderly woman falls prey to 'digital arrest', loses Rs 3.09 crore

Mangaluru: An elderly woman reportedly fell prey to the online scam of “digital arrest” and lost over Rs 3.09 crore between January and July 2025 in the city. However, the incident has come to light now.

In a complaint to CEN station, Leni Prabhu said that on January 15, 2025, she received a missed call from an unknown number. When she returned the call, a woman on the other end, claiming to be from the General Post Office, informed Leni that a parcel she had allegedly sent to China had been returned, while containing 150 grams of MDMA. The caller warned that the offence carried a prison term of more than 75 years.

Despite the victim’s denial of having sent any parcel, the scammer insisted that it was sent in her name using her ID card. The caller then allegedly obtained her personal details and claimed they could help her, but to get a no objection certificate she would have to send 93% of her pension.

On January 17, 2025, under pressure and fearing legal consequences, the victim reportedly travelled to Mangaluru and transferred Rs 55 lakh via RTGS to the accounts provided by the fraudsters. She was instructed not to inform anyone, which kept her in fear and silence.

From January 17 to July 4, she allegedly transferred a total of Rs 3,09,75,000 in multiple instalments to bank accounts given by the scammers.

The fraud came to light when the accused stopped responding, and the victim realised she had been cheated. Police said unknown persons had carried out the fraud online using a “digital arrest” tactic. A case has been registered.