Fraudsters posed as courier officials and Mumbai Police; victim sold two plots, an apartment and even borrowed money under constant psychological pressure
Bengaluru – In a shocking case of cyber-enabled extortion, a 57-year-old woman from Bengaluru lost ₹2.05 crore to a sophisticated “digital arrest” syndicate. The fraudsters impersonated a courier company executive as well as officers from the Mumbai Police, threatening the woman with arrest in a fabricated narcotics case. Over nearly six months, they coerced her into liquidating prime real-estate assets and even taking loans to transfer money to bank accounts controlled by the gang.
The scam, police officials said, is part of a fast-expanding network of cybercriminals who exploit fear, legal confusion and constant surveillance through malicious mobile applications.
A single phone call triggered months of psychological intimidation
According to the complaint, the ordeal began on 19 June 2025 when the victim received a call from a person claiming to represent a courier company. The caller alleged that a parcel in her name had been intercepted in Mumbai and was found to contain drugs. He further claimed that the package was linked to her Aadhaar details and warned her of immediate criminal action.
Within minutes, the call was transferred to individuals posing as Mumbai Police personnel. They insisted that she undergo a “video verification procedure” and coerced her into installing an unfamiliar mobile application. Once installed, the app synced with her email ID, allowing the fraudsters to monitor her digital activity in real time. Initially communicating in English and later switching to Hindi, the callers maintained a tone of escalating urgency and intimidation.
Threats to her son forced distress sales of high-value assets
Over the following weeks, the fraudsters created what investigators described as a “high-pressure simulation of a criminal investigation.” They warned the woman that her son’s life was in danger unless she complied with their financial instructions. Fearing immediate harm, she began arranging large sums of money as dictated.
Under sustained psychological pressure, the victim:
- Sold two plots in Malanur
- Liquidated an apartment in Vignan Nagar
- Took out multiple personal loans
Between June and November 2025, she transferred money in multiple instalments—₹25 lakh, ₹70 lakh, ₹20 lakh, ₹12 lakh, ₹45 lakh—along with numerous smaller transactions ranging from ₹49,000 to ₹99,500. All payments were made to bank accounts shared by the fraudsters during the calls.
Fraud unravelled when she was asked to collect a bogus ‘NOC’
The deception collapsed only when the gang instructed her to visit a “police station” to collect a No Objection Certificate (NOC)—purportedly required to release her frozen assets. When she reached the actual local police station, officials informed her that no case existed in her name and no such procedure was underway.
Realising the extent of the fraud, the woman immediately lodged a complaint through the 1930 Cyber Helpline and the NCRP portal. The case has since been transferred to the Whitefield Division Cyber Crime Police Station.
Case registered under IT Act and BNS-2023; investigation underway
The police have registered a case under appropriate sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023. Investigators are tracking the bank accounts used in the transactions and attempting to identify the network behind the operation.
Cybercrime officials noted that “digital arrest scams” have become increasingly common across major cities. These scams leverage spoofed caller IDs, fabricated legal narratives and remote-access tools to keep victims in a state of fear and compliance for weeks or even months.
Authorities reiterated warnings urging citizens never to install unknown applications, never to act on threats related to parcels or police cases over unsolicited calls, and to immediately report suspicious communication.
