A 76-year-old woman from Serilingampally fell victim to a digital arrest scam, losing over ₹16 lakh after scammers impersonated law enforcement officials through video calls. Police warn of a rising pattern targeting senior citizens across India.
A 76-year-old retired Central government employee in Serilingampally has lost ₹16.16 lakh after scammers trapped her in a so-called digital arrest, a method in which fraudsters pose as law-enforcement officials and use video calls to keep victims isolated and compliant.
According to the complaint reported by Deccan Chronicle, the ordeal began on August 2 when the woman received a call from someone claiming to be at Mumbai police headquarters. The caller said a case linked to money laundering and terrorist groups had been filed against her in Lucknow, then moved the conversation to WhatsApp video calls when she said she was too old to travel to Mumbai.
The fraudsters told her a bank account in her name was being used for terror-related transactions and insisted that the Reserve Bank of India would examine her finances. They asked her to keep quiet, installed Signal on her phone and watched her through video calls for two days while she shared her screen and followed their instructions. On August 4, they pushed her to gather her savings and pension money and transfer ₹16.16 lakh by RTGS to an account connected to a business in Haryana, even sending a forged acknowledgement said to be from the RBI.
The scam only unravelled when the callers pressed her to liquidate mutual funds and move more money. She then contacted her daughter using a neighbour’s phone and realised she had been deceived. Police have registered a case and are tracing the money flow and the people behind it.
The case fits a pattern seen in other recent digital arrest frauds across India, where victims have been kept under pressure for hours or even weeks through constant video contact, threats of arrest and fake official documents. In one case reported by LiveMint, a retired officer in Lucknow was allegedly forced to part with nearly ₹90 lakh over almost 25 days, while The Times of India reported that an 83-year-old retired Navy officer in Ahmedabad lost more than ₹42.50 lakh after scammers impersonated telecom and CBI officials. Police have repeatedly warned that genuine agencies do not conduct investigations or demand transfers this way.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
