Bhopal: 74-year-old senior citizen loses Rs 52 lakh in digital arrest scam
Madhya Pradesh: Cybercriminals duped a 74-year-old Saket Nagar resident into transferring ₹5.2 million (approximately $1.5 million) under the pretext of a “digital arrest.” Rajendra Singh, a resident of Panchavati Complex, was mentally harassed for four days by fraudsters posing as ATS and Crime Branch officers, falsely accusing him of funding terrorism. Following his complaint on Saturday, the Cyber Crime Police registered a case against the account involved and the unknown users of the WhatsApp number.
Singh told police that on November 28th, he received a WhatsApp video call from an account named “ATS Department.” The caller, claiming to be from the Jahangirabad police station, said that a bank account had been opened in his name using his Aadhaar card and was being used to fund terrorists in Pulwama, Kashmir. They warned that arrest warrants had been issued against him and his wife and threatened immediate action if he did not cooperate.
The fraudsters, lured by the couple’s age, promised “digital arrest” from their homes and obtained details of all their bank accounts, fixed deposits, post office policies, and other financial documents. Under pressure, the Singhs cancelled the deposits and policies and transferred the money to the accounts provided by the criminals. The criminals claimed that the money would be transferred to a government account for RBI verification and would be returned after verification.
