Alert bank manager, Mulki police foil Rs 84 lakh digital arrest fraud attempt

Mangaluru: An alert bank manager and timely intervention by Mulki police prevented an elderly couple near Kinnigoli from losing Rs 84 lakh to fraudsters who attempted to extort them through a fake “digital arrest” scam.

Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy CH said the coordinated efforts of the bank manager and Mulki Police ensured the fraud attempt was foiled.

According to the police, the fraudsters had called 84-year-old Benedict Fernandes and 71-year-old Lilly Fernandes of Damas Katte on December 1, posing as Uttar Pradesh CID police. They falsely accused the couple of receiving Rs 6 crore in a Mumbai bank account.

To intimidate them, the scammers shared forged Aadhaar details and claimed the couple was under “digital arrest”, warning them not to leave their home and threatening that officers would “shoot them” if they did. The fraudsters then demanded immediate payment and later instructed the couple to transfer Rs 84 lakh from their bank account in Kinnigoli to an account controlled by them.

Terrified by the threats, the couple visited the bank on Tuesday and informed the branch manager that they urgently needed to transfer Rs 84 lakh from their fixed deposit to their savings account.

The manager became suspicious and questioned them, but the couple attempted to justify the request by claiming they were buying land in Bengaluru.

On Wednesday morning, the couple again insisted on withdrawing and transferring the entire amount. Their continued urgency raised further suspicion, prompting the manager Royston to alert the local beat officer Yashvanth Kumar and station intelligence personnel Kishore.

When the police visited the couple’s house, the digital arrest scam came to light. Acting swiftly, the police informed the bank manager not to transfer the amount and helped in saving the amount of the couple.