Mumbai Woman Loses ₹3.8 Crore in Longest “Digital Arrest” Cyber Scam

Mumbai: Authorities are calling it the longest “digital arrest” scam. A 77-year-old woman from Mumbai lost ₹3.8 crore to cyber fraudsters pretending to be IPS officers and other law enforcement personnel. The woman, a homemaker living with her retired husband in South Mumbai, was misled into believing she was under digital arrest for a month in a fake money laundering case. The scammers repeatedly threatened her with arrest.

How the Scam Began

The ordeal started with a seemingly innocent WhatsApp call. The fraudsters told the woman that a parcel she sent to Taiwan had been stopped. They claimed it contained five passports, a bank card, 4 kg of clothes, and MDMA drugs. To make their story believable, they sent her a fake notice stamped by the Crime Branch, according to the Mumbai Crime Branch.

When the woman insisted she hadn’t sent any parcel, the caller claimed her Aadhaar card was involved in the alleged crime and insisted she speak with a Mumbai police officer. Her call was then connected to a man posing as a police officer who supported the claim, stating that her Aadhaar was linked to a money laundering investigation.

The Fake “Investigation”

The woman was told to download Skype to speak with the officers. She was warned not to disconnect the call or inform anyone about the case. A man claiming to be IPS officer Anand Rana joined the call and asked for her bank details. Soon after, another man, impersonating IPS officer George Mathew from the finance department, asked her to transfer money to shared bank accounts for the investigation. He assured her that all the money would be returned if she was innocent.

She was forced to keep the video call active 24 hours a day. At first, she transferred ₹15 lakh. However, the fraudsters threatened her whenever the call disconnected, demanding more money.

A Month-Long Ordeal

Over the course of a month, the fraud continued, and the woman transferred nearly ₹4 crore to the scammers. When she became suspicious about not getting her money back, she finally confided in her daughter, who encouraged her to file a complaint. The case was brought to the authorities’ attention.

Authorities have cautioned citizens, especially seniors, to be extremely careful when receiving calls from unknown numbers claiming to be law enforcement officials. They advised people not to share banking details or transfer money under pressure and to verify any claims independently.