Digital arrest: Man held after 81-year-old woman is duped of 7.8 cr

Mumbai, Aug 21 (PTI) A man was arrested for alleged involvement in a racket in which an 81-year-old woman was duped of Rs 7.8 crore using the 'digital arrest' modus operandi, a Mumbai police official said on Thursday.

The accused, 21-year-old Kartik Chaudhary of Malvani in Malad, allegedly provided his bank account to another associate, through which Rs 1.98 lakh was transferred from the victim's account, the official said.

"Chaudhary withdrew the amount and handed it over to another accomplice, whom he had come in contact with through Telegram app. In return, he received a commission," the official said.

"The victim, who is a resident of south Mumbai, had not lodged a complaint in the case. However, police received information about the massive fund transfer through internal inputs and began a probe. After a police team visited the woman's residence, an FIR was lodged against unidentified persons," he said.

The arrest marks a crucial step in curbing the rising cases of digital frauds in the city, the official added.

The Mumbai cyber police is conducting further probe to arrest others involved in the case, the official informed.

'Digital arrest' is a modus operandi in which cyber fraudsters monitor a victim through channels like Skype and video calls while pressuring them into transferring huge sums of money in order to be let off in non-existent cases. PTI ZA BNM