Senior citizen, wife put under 'digital arrest' for 50 hours in Telangana

Hyderabad, Sep 3 (PTI) A 78-year-old man from Nizamabad district of Telangana was duped in a cyber fraud after fraudsters posing as Mumbai Police officers-put him and his wife under "digital arrest" for about 50 hours, police said on Wednesday.

Digital arrest is a term used in cyber frauds where victims are falsely told they are under surveillance or legal custody through digital means. They are often isolated via continuous video or call surveillance by fraudsters posing as officials, and manipulated into following instructions without alerting others - often leading to extortion or fraud.

The fraudsters contacted the senior citizen and falsely claimed that his Aadhaar was linked to a bank account involved in a money laundering case. The accused then threatened the wife of the victim and kept them under digital arrest, which continued for about 50 hours i.e 9 AM on August 31 to 11.30 AM on September 2, an official release said.

To gain credibility, the accused sent fabricated legal notices in the name of Supreme Court, CBl, TRAI, and RBI, it said.

On the pretext of "verification of transactions," the victim was coerced into transferring over Rs 30 lakh to the fraudsters' account. Fake payment receipts in the name of RBI and the Enforcement Directorate were also shared to mislead him.

The fraudsters further attempted to persuade the victim into taking a gold loan by pledging ornaments in his bank locker. For which the victim approached one of his friends to pledge the ornaments in a private bank.

His friend sensed foul play and immediately informed '1930 helpline' and also approached the Cyber Crime Police Station (CCPS), Nizamabad.

ln swift action, the officers prevented the senior citizen from pledging his gold for money. The prompt action by 1930 ensured that Rs 20 lakh from the defrauded amount was put on hold, Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) Director Shikha Goel said in a release.

The Director urged the public to remain vigilant and not respond to such fraudulent calls.

Investigation is on to identify and apprehend the accused, the release said. PTI VVK VVK KH