Cyber police are investigating the case and attempting to identify and trace the accused
On Sept 21, they allegedly obtained details of her bank accounts and transactions. Police said Kulkarni transferred Rs 62 lakh on Sept 23, Rs 89 lakh on Sept 28, Rs 54 lakh on Sept 29, and Rs 55 lakh and Rs 40.8 lakh on Oct 1.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : A 75-year-old woman from Venkatesh Nagar was allegedly kept under “digital arrest” for 14 days by cyber fraudsters posing as police officers, who threatened to arrest her son and harm her family before cheating her of Rs 3 crore between Sept 18 and Oct 1. The accused told her that a bank account had been opened in her name in Mumbai and was being used to transfer money linked to terrorist activities, according to a complaint filed by Shubhada Ashok Kulkarni with Jinsi police station. After learning about her fixed deposits, they told her that the funds too had to undergo “scrutiny”, police said. Police said Kulkarni lived alone. Police said the accused exploited her concerns for her family to keep her under control.
The fraudsters later made a WhatsApp video call, during which one of the accused appeared in a police uniform, seated against a backdrop featuring the Tricolour and a blue police flag. The staged setting allegedly convinced Kulkarni that she was speaking to genuine police officers. The accused reportedly contacted her every morning, afternoon and evening, maintaining the threat of arrest and claiming that an investigation was underway. Kulkarni was then allegedly directed to transfer money through RTGS to bank accounts specified by the fraudsters. Her son works with a firm in Jamnagar, while her daughter lives in US.