Bengaluru senior citizen falls prey to ‘digital arrest’ scam, loses

A 79-year-old retired employee fell prey to the ‘digital arrest’ scam in Bengaluru and lost ₹81 lakh, reported Deccan Herald. The fraudsters posed as Mumbai police officers and alleged the victim of sending obscene messages to a woman.
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According to a report, the victim, who is a retired employee in a private firm, received a call from an unknown number and the person claimed that he is an officer from Mumbai Police. The caller alleged the victim of sending obscene messages to a Mumbai-based woman and read out a phone number loudly. He said that an FIR was lodged and the victim would be arrested physically soon. The accused also said that they are conducting digital arrest at the moment and asked the victim to not step out on his own.
The senior citizen was further blackmailed, and a total of ₹81 lakh was swindled from him. He was also confined to his house for a month as he was not asked to step out for any purpose. A senior police officer who is investigating this case told the publication that a lot of people in the city are getting similar calls where the fraudsters accuse people of sending obscene messages and later blackmailing them by impersonating government officials.
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In his recent Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also warned people of the country of ‘digital arrest’ scams. PM Modi said, “People from every class and age group fall victim to digital arrest. People have lost lakhs of rupees earned through their hard work, out of sheer fear. Whenever you receive such a call, don’t be scared. You should be aware that no investigative agency ever inquires like this through a phone call or a video call.”
He also highlighted that there is no legal concept of a “digital arrest”. “This is just fraud, deceit, it is a lie, a gang of criminals and those who are doing this are enemies of society,” he added.