<p>Tumakuru: Fraudsters impersonating Delhi Police officers duped a 74-year-old man named Mrutyunjaya from Raghavendra Nagar in Tumakuru of Rs 88 lakh by threatening a digital arrest.</p><p>On June 18, the accused contacted Mrutyunjaya and introduced himself as a Delhi Telecom officer. He claimed that a SIM card had been purchased in his name in Mumbai and was being used for illegal money transfers. The caller then said that a senior officer would speak with him.</p><p>Another person then contacted Mrutyunjaya via WhatsApp video call, introducing himself as a Cyber Crime officer.</p><p><strong>‘Cooked up story’</strong></p><p>The ‘cyber crime officer’ told Mrutyunjaya that in 2023, a fraudster by name Naresh Goyal had been arrested in connection with a Rs 583 crore fraud case and that he had opened an account with Canara Bank, Mumbai, in Mrutyunjaya’s name. Around Rs 2 crore from 24 families had been deposited into that account, and he had transferred Rs 25 lakh to Mrutyunjaya as commission.</p><p>The scammers said they found documents related to him (Mrutyunjaya) during a search of Goyal’s residence and that Mrutyunjaya would be ‘digitally arrested’ soon. </p><p>He was instructed not to leave his home or disconnect the call.</p><p>On June 19, the fraudsters called Mrutyunjaya again, threatening him with arrest and collected complete information about his movable and immovable assets. They convinced him that to get cleared from the case, he would have to invest money, which would be refunded after verification.</p><p>On June 21, Mrutyunjaya transferred Rs 13 lakh to the account provided by the fraudsters. Later that night, during another video call, he was instructed to withdraw deposit amounts from various bank accounts.</p><p><strong>‘We’ll pay interest’</strong></p><p>On June 23, Mrutyunjaya transferred an additional Rs 40 lakh to the fraudsters. The next day, the accused called again and demanded another Rs 60 lakh as “investment.” When Mrutyunjaya said he did not have that much money, the fraudster pressured him to pledge gold jewellery and assured him that they would pay the interest.</p><p>On June 30, Mrutyunjaya pledged his jewellery at a bank and transferred Rs 25 lakh to the account specified by the fraudsters.</p><p>Later, they demanded an additional Rs 10 lakh. When Mrutyunjaya approached his relatives for money, they became suspicious and questioned him, leading to the realisation that he had been scammed.</p><p>Mrutyunjaya has now filed a complaint at the Cyber Crime Police Station, requesting action against the fraudsters who cheated him of Rs 88 lakh under the pretence of a digital arrest.</p><p> A case has been registered.</p>
<p>Tumakuru: Fraudsters impersonating Delhi Police officers duped a 74-year-old man named Mrutyunjaya from Raghavendra Nagar in Tumakuru of Rs 88 lakh by threatening a digital arrest.</p><p>On June 18, the accused contacted Mrutyunjaya and introduced himself as a Delhi Telecom officer. He claimed that a SIM card had been purchased in his name in Mumbai and was being used for illegal money transfers. The caller then said that a senior officer would speak with him.</p><p>Another person then contacted Mrutyunjaya via WhatsApp video call, introducing himself as a Cyber Crime officer.</p><p><strong>‘Cooked up story’</strong></p><p>The ‘cyber crime officer’ told Mrutyunjaya that in 2023, a fraudster by name Naresh Goyal had been arrested in connection with a Rs 583 crore fraud case and that he had opened an account with Canara Bank, Mumbai, in Mrutyunjaya’s name. Around Rs 2 crore from 24 families had been deposited into that account, and he had transferred Rs 25 lakh to Mrutyunjaya as commission.</p><p>The scammers said they found documents related to him (Mrutyunjaya) during a search of Goyal’s residence and that Mrutyunjaya would be ‘digitally arrested’ soon. </p><p>He was instructed not to leave his home or disconnect the call.</p><p>On June 19, the fraudsters called Mrutyunjaya again, threatening him with arrest and collected complete information about his movable and immovable assets. They convinced him that to get cleared from the case, he would have to invest money, which would be refunded after verification.</p><p>On June 21, Mrutyunjaya transferred Rs 13 lakh to the account provided by the fraudsters. Later that night, during another video call, he was instructed to withdraw deposit amounts from various bank accounts.</p><p><strong>‘We’ll pay interest’</strong></p><p>On June 23, Mrutyunjaya transferred an additional Rs 40 lakh to the fraudsters. The next day, the accused called again and demanded another Rs 60 lakh as “investment.” When Mrutyunjaya said he did not have that much money, the fraudster pressured him to pledge gold jewellery and assured him that they would pay the interest.</p><p>On June 30, Mrutyunjaya pledged his jewellery at a bank and transferred Rs 25 lakh to the account specified by the fraudsters.</p><p>Later, they demanded an additional Rs 10 lakh. When Mrutyunjaya approached his relatives for money, they became suspicious and questioned him, leading to the realisation that he had been scammed.</p><p>Mrutyunjaya has now filed a complaint at the Cyber Crime Police Station, requesting action against the fraudsters who cheated him of Rs 88 lakh under the pretence of a digital arrest.</p><p> A case has been registered.</p>
