Ex Aligarh Mayor under 'digital arrest' for 3 days, files case against unknown fraudsters

Aligarh(UP), Nov 7 (PTI) Former Aligarh Mayor has filed a complaint against unidentified persons posing as Delhi Police officers, who allegedly kept her under "digital arrest" for three consecutive days, police said on Friday.

Speaking to media persons on Thursday, Shakuntala Bharti, a BJP leader, said that on the afternoon of November 3, she received a WhatsApp call from a man claiming to be a Delhi Police officer.

The fraudster alleged that during an investigation in Mumbai, police had found her Aadhaar card linked to a large sum of money deposited in a nationalised bank there, suggesting her involvement in a major financial fraud, she said.

The caller allegedly warned Bharti that she would soon be arrested and instructed her not to inform anyone. Over the next two days, different individuals posing as police officers called her, giving her directions and demanding secrecy during each call, the police said.

The following day, the fraudsters allegedly demanded Rs 50 lakh to "dilute the case", Bharti said she refused, insisting she did not know any such bank account or transaction.

Terrified, Bharti and her husband filed a complaint at Delhi Gate police station late on Wednesday night, the police said.

Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation into the matter, they said. PTI COR CDN APL APL APL