Hyderabad: A 63-year-old retired government employee from Hyderabad was duped Rs 8 lakh in a digital arrest scam. Cybercriminals threatened him with involvement in a money laundering case linked to a Rs 66,000 crore fraud and extorted the money.
According to the police, five days ago, the victim received a call from a fraudster posing as a telecom authority officer. He claimed his mobile number would be disconnected due to a case registered against him at the Andheri East police station.
The scammer then connected him to another fraudster impersonating a special officer from the CBI. The fake CBI officer alleged that a bank account had been opened in the victim’s name using his Aadhaar and mobile number, linking him to a money laundering operation.
The criminals threatened to arrest both the victim and his wife unless they cooperated, police said. They placed the couple under digital arrest, forcing them to remain confined in a room for over five hours while maintaining continuous phone contact. They were coerced into transferring Rs 8 lakh to various accounts under the pretext of verification. The scam ended when the victim became suspicious after further demands for additional transfers.
