A 56-year-old man in Mumbai has been cheated of more than Rs 12 crore through a digital arrest scam

A shocking cybercrime incident has left a 56-year-old man from Mumbai with a staggering loss of Rs 12.81 crore. The scam ran for a month, and the whole thing started when the victim was targeted by cybercriminals in July. The fraudsters played a deep game with the victim, placing him under what they called a 'digital arrest' which ended with financial ruin.

The victim, unemployed and dependent on inherited assets, was first contacted on July 19 by one Naga Chimit. The scamsters, after gaining access to the Aadhaar number and credentials of the victim, orchestrated a WhatsApp video call. The call looked genuine as it featured a man dressed as Inspector Vikram Singh of the Mumbai Crime Branch sitting in what looked like an official police station. This counterfeit policeman was telling the victim about various offenses he was involved with-included to money laundering-and how they put him under digital arrest until he cleared himself.

During a month, fraudsters coerced the victim into transferring significant sums of money to several bank accounts while making him believe that he has to pay a penalty, which never existed. Throughout this scam, the victim remained in this digital arrest until August 12. Unfortunately, he came to realize that he was being swindled only in November, and hence filed a police complaint.

The authorities are currently investigating the case and trying to track down the cybercriminals by using the mobile numbers and bank account details provided by the fraudsters. This incident is yet another example of the increasing menace of cybercrimes in Mumbai and is a cautionary tale on how fraudsters can manipulate unsuspecting individuals.

Earlier last month, a similar case occurred wherein a 26-year-old woman in Mumbai was cheated by police impersonators and lost Rs 1.7 lakh. Such fraud calls for a more vigilant approach by the public.

As such scams keep appearing and growing, experts generally tell people to be very vigilant of sharing their information, mainly to strangers who say they come from the authority. Verifications of anyone who might need money or your most secretive information should always be conducted first before doing anything.

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