Digital Arrest Scam: Elderly Businessman Loses Rs 15 Crore to Cyber Fraudsters

An 81-year-old businessman in Belagavi, Karnataka, fell victim to a 'digital arrest' scam, losing over Rs 15 crore to cyber fraudsters posing as CBI officials who falsely accused him of financial crimes.

Photograph: Mansi Thapliyal/Reuters

Key Points

An 81-year-old businessman in Belagavi lost over Rs 15 crore in a sophisticated 'digital arrest' cyber scam.
Fraudsters posing as CBI officials falsely accused the victim of money laundering and illegal financial activities.
The scammers coerced the victim into sharing financial details and transferring money to a 'safe account' under false pretenses.
Police have recovered Rs 90 lakh of the defrauded money and have launched a special team to apprehend the culprits involved in the cyber fraud.
This incident highlights the increasing threat of digital arrest scams targeting vulnerable individuals and the importance of cyber awareness.

An 81-year-old businessman has allegedly lost over Rs 15 crore in a 'digital arrest' scam after fraudsters posing as CBI officials accused him of involvement in a financial crime, police said.

According to officials, the senior citizen received multiple calls, including video calls, for nearly six weeks.

The fraudsters claimed that the victim had received a Rs 5 lakh commission for laundering Rs 25 lakh and that complaints had been filed against him for illegal financial activities, police have said on Sunday.

Threatening to arrest him in a money laundering case, they coerced the victim into sharing his account and financial details with them and transferring the money to a "safe or government account," they added.

They assured him that the amount would be returned after the investigation. The victim grew suspicious when he received no response from the callers and found all mobile numbers untraceable, according to officials. He then complained to the police last week.

Investigation and Recovery Efforts

The Cyber, Economic and Narcotics (CEN) police station officials, who investigated the case, traced the account to which the money was transferred and recovered only Rs 90 lakh.

The Belagavi Police Commissioner has constituted a special team to trace and arrest the culprits.

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