Karkala woman falls prey to digital arrest scam, loses Rs 24 lakh

Udupi: A woman from Karkala became a victim of a digital arrest scam and lost Rs 24 lakh.

Preema Sheril D'Souza stated that she received a call from an unknown person on her phone on January 7, while she was at home around 12:30.

The caller claimed to be from the Delhi Telecom Department and informed her that another SIM card had been purchased using her Aadhaar number in Uttar Pradesh and was being used for illegal activities.

The caller further stated that multiple cases had been filed against her and that a cyber officer would speak to her regarding the matter.

During a video call, a man dressed in a police uniform identified himself as a CBI officer. He instructed Preema to cooperate with the investigation and warned her not to disclose the matter to anyone. He threatened that if she did, her husband and child will be harmed.

The complainant said that the alleged officer collected details of Preema’s bank accounts and coerced her into transferring money to various other accounts.

They threatened to issue an arrest warrant if she failed to comply. As a result, Preema transferred Rs 14 lakh to the accused’s Federal Bank ]and Rs 10 lakh to their Yes Bank account through RTGS from her fixed deposit account.

Based on the complaint, a case has been registered at Karkala Rural Police Station under Section 308(2) of the BNS and Section 66(D) of the IT Act