Mumbai cyber police successfully rescued an 81-year-old woman from an ongoing “digital arrest” scam, preventing her from losing further money after she had already been duped of ₹7.8 crore. The incident unfolded at her South Mumbai residence, where she was being manipulated by cybercriminals posing as police officers.
The woman, who lives alone after her husband’s death and whose two daughters reside abroad, had been under the fraudsters’ psychological control since July 10. She had liquidated her savings, fixed deposits, and mutual funds on their instructions, believing she was aiding a government investigation.
Police Face Hour-Long Standoff at Victim’s Residence
According to officials, the case came to light when cyber police received information on Monday that large fund transfers had been made from the woman’s accounts over the past month. A team from Azad Maidan Police Station reached her residence but were denied entry.
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The victim had been told by the fraudsters not to trust anyone claiming to be police, and that such people would try to “derail” the investigation. A second team from the South Region Cyber Police Station soon arrived, but the woman remained adamant.
It took nearly an hour of persuasion, involving the building landlord and later the woman’s daughter over the phone, to convince her to allow the officers inside.
How the ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam Played Out
Once inside, officers learned that the woman had been in constant communication with individuals posing as law enforcement officials. They falsely told her that her bank account had been used for money laundering and that she needed to transfer her funds to a “central bank” account for verification.
To bolster credibility, the scammers appeared in police uniforms during video calls and used footage from outside Colaba Police Station as a backdrop. The elaborate ruse convinced the woman to part with her entire financial portfolio, totaling ₹7.8 crore.
Even after the police showed her media reports of similar scams, she remained sceptical until her daughter intervened, assuring her that the people on the phone were fraudsters.
FIR Registered, Accounts Blocked to Prevent Further Loss
Before the victim’s formal statement was taken, the police had already contacted the cybercrime helpline 1930 and coordinated with banks to freeze her accounts, preventing additional losses. An FIR has been registered and investigations are underway to track the perpetrators.
Officials stressed that the “digital arrest” method is a dangerous evolution of cyber fraud, where victims are kept under virtual confinement through psychological manipulation, often for days or weeks, until their finances are drained.
