80-year-old man loses 1 Million Indian Rupee in Digital Arrest Case

An 81-year-old man from Mumbai in India recently lost Rs 10 lakh (1 Million INR) in a digital arrest case, a type of fraud where accused impersonate as law enforcement officers and extort money from the victim, often converting them into cryptocurrencies.

According to police, the victim Chandrakant M, is retired and lives in Hongkong with his son, and had recently returned to Mumbai. The victim was contacted by the accused on the phone who then impersonated officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) . The extortionist group then falsely accused the victim of being involved in human trafficking and money laundering. 

The accused group then “house arrested” the victim digitally through 24/7 video call monitoring, not allowing him to seek help or leave the house. 

According to police, the accused group forced the victim to send Rs 10 lakh via RTGS under pretext of investigation. Digital Arrests case are gaining attention in India where accused impersonating as law officers, “digitally trap” victims by forcing them to stay connected on video calls constantly throughout days, stopping them from seeking help from anybody. 

Recently, police in Rajasthan arrested a group of 15 accused persons who were involved in digital arrest scam and used to convert extorted money into cryptocurrencies .

According to the reports, the victim recently received a WhatsApp video call from an unknown number after he returned to India from Hong Kong. The caller claimed to be the officer from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The scammer terrified the elderly man by imposing false allegations about his involvement in money laundering and human trafficking. The scammer further told him that he was under house arrest and that his mobile phone would be switched off in two hours.

The FIR has been filed against the scammer on December 9 at Santacruz police station. As per the investigation, Chandrakant M is a retired person and lives with his son in Hong Kong. He returned to Mumbai due to the extreme cold weather in the foreign and has since been living alone at his Santacruz house in Mumbai.