The fraudsters told the woman, who lives alone, that her name had surfaced in a money laundering case
Mumbai: A 68-year-old South Mumbai woman was duped of Rs 3 crore by a gang of cyber criminals who placed her under ‘digital arrest’ and accused her of being involved in a fake money laundering case, police said. The fraud occurred between Aug 21 and Sept 12. Believing the callers were genuine police personnel, the woman transferred Rs 3.02 crore in three separate transactions. She then approached the south region cyber police station and lodged an FIR on Sept 14.
He told her that her name had surfaced in a money laundering case. The woman, who lives alone, first received a WhatsApp video call from a man claiming to be a Mumbai police officer. When the money was not returned and the callers stopped responding, she confided in her brother, who realised that she had been cheated. A team led by DCP Bajrang Bansode, comprising senior inspector Nandkumar Glopale and sub-inspector Dipesh Shinde, is investigating the case.
They told her that the case was serious and threatened that she could be arrested at any time. The accused then told the woman that, being a senior citizen, she would be questioned online and placed her under digital arrest. She was later contacted by other members of the gang, who allegedly posed as officials of National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).