File photo
On Friday, Jinsi police registered a case after a 75-year-old woman was allegedly kept under digital arrest for 14 days and cheated of more than Rs 3 crore. In the latest case, the 67-year-old N-1 CIDCO resident received WhatsApp calls from an unidentified person between Sept 23 and 30.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : A 67-year-old homemaker from CIDCO was allegedly kept under “digital arrest” for a week and forced to transfer Rs 13 lakh to two bank accounts after cyber fraudsters posing as police officers claimed her account was linked to terrorist activities. The caller allegedly claimed to be a police officer and told her that her bank account was linked to accounts involved in a terrorism case. The caller allegedly threatened that police would arrive with handcuffs to arrest her, claiming it was a “national-level” case involving hundreds of suspected terrorist accounts. Police commissioner Pravin Pawar said the two cases showed how fraudsters were using fear of arrest and official-looking communication to manipulate victims. People should immediately disconnect such calls and verify the claim with the nearest police station,” Pawar said.
The case, registered by MIDC CIDCO police, is the second digital arrest scam FIR in the city in three days. In that case too, fraudsters posed as police officers and used a video call showing a police-like setting, uniform and national symbols to convince the victim that the threat was genuine. “Police officers or any investigating agency do not demand money from citizens to avoid arrest or to clear their names in a case. Police have urged citizens not to transfer money or share banking credentials in response to threats received through phone or video calls and to report suspected cyber fraud immediately.
She realised she had been cheated after the transactions and approached police. A case has been registered against the unidentified caller and the holders of the beneficiary accounts. PI Ganpat Rahire is supervising the investigation.