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A money trail from one cyber fraud investigation led Delhi Police to another alleged digital arrest victim, a senior citizen living alone in Janakpuri who had already allegedly transferred around ₹60 lakh to scammers.
Police reached the woman while she was allegedly still under pressure from fraudsters posing as law enforcement officials. Their intervention helped prevent further transfers and protect her remaining financial holdings, including mutual funds and shares.
How Did Police Find the Woman?
The case emerged from an investigation into a separate digital arrest fraud involving ₹67,30,300, which was reported on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal on September 20.
The Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations unit of Delhi Police was following the movement of the defrauded money when investigators traced part of it to an Axis Bank account belonging to a private limited company based in Nagori, Karnataka.
Further examination of transactions from that account led investigators to a savings account with South Indian Bank.
Was Her Account Being Used as a Mule Account?
Investigators initially had to determine whether the South Indian Bank account was another mule account controlled by the fraud network or belonged to someone unaware that it had become connected to the cybercrime.
A closer examination of the account details and transaction pattern indicated that it belonged to a genuine individual and had allegedly been used without her knowledge.
Police then traced the account holder to Janakpuri in West Delhi.
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What Did Police Find at Her Home?
When police reached the address, they found a senior citizen living alone.
According to police, the woman was severely distressed and was allegedly under digital arrest at the time. Fraudsters had convinced her that she was facing a serious criminal investigation and could be arrested.
The situation revealed that a bank account identified while investigating one cybercrime had led officers directly to another alleged victim.
How Was the ‘CBI’ Name Used?
The scammers allegedly told the woman that her Aadhaar details were linked to money laundering and that her bank account had been connected to a blast in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to police, a woman contacted the victim while posing as an officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The victim was allegedly warned that all her bank accounts could be frozen. The claims of criminal involvement and threats of legal action were used to frighten her into following the scammers’ instructions.
How Much Money Was Transferred?
Under pressure from the fraudsters, the senior citizen allegedly transferred around ₹60 lakh.
Police reached her before the scammers could allegedly extract more money. Their intervention also helped protect other financial assets held by the woman, including mutual funds and shares.
The IFSO team coordinated with the officer in charge of Janakpuri police station, following which local police personnel were sent to her residence.
What Happened After Police Intervened?
The woman was assisted in registering a complaint through the cybercrime helpline 1930.
Police said the complaint has been registered and further legal proceedings are underway. The e-FIR process is also being initiated, while investigators are working to trace and freeze the money allegedly taken from her.
How Does a Digital Arrest Scam Work?
In a digital arrest scam, fraudsters impersonate officials from agencies such as the police, CBI, Enforcement Directorate, customs or other government departments.
Victims are falsely accused of involvement in crimes such as money laundering and are threatened with arrest, account freezes or seizure of assets. Fraudsters may keep victims on phone or video calls for extended periods and pressure them into transferring money or disclosing sensitive information.
Read this to know how digital arrest fraud works: https://the420.in/digital-arrest-scam/
The420 Takeaway: A Real Agency Will Not Demand Money to Avoid Arrest
Threats involving the CBI, police, ED or other government agencies should not be treated as proof that a criminal case exists. If someone on a phone or video call claims you are under “digital arrest” and demands a transfer of money, stop communicating, do not make further payments and report the incident immediately through the cybercrime helpline 1930 or the appropriate police authorities.
