Senior citizen from Maharashtra's Thane loses Rs 28 lakh in digital arrest fraud

Thane: A 64-year-old man from Maharashtra’s Thane district was allegedly duped of nearly Rs 28 lakh in a digital arrest scam, police said on Friday.

The complainant, a resident of Ronak City in Kalyan West, alleged that between April 1 and April 7, he received multiple WhatsApp video and audio calls from unknown persons, including from international numbers, the police said.

“The callers introduced themselves as police officials and claimed that the complainant’s bank accounts were linked to a money laundering case and terrorist activities,” said an official from Khadakpada police station.

The accused persons threatened to “arrest” the senior citizen and coerced him into transferring money for “verification and investigation purposes”, the official said.

Under pressure and fear, the man transferred Rs 27.9 lakh to bank accounts provided by the accused during the course of the calls, police said. The man later realised that he had been defrauded. On his complaint, the police registered a case on Wednesday.

“An investigation is underway to trace the accused persons and identify the bank accounts used in the fraud. We are also analysing call data records and digital evidence,” the investigating officer said.