Software professional under 'digital arrest' rescued by cops in Indore

Indore, Dec 19 (PTI) A 35-year-old software professional was rescued by police in Indore in Madhya Pradesh after online fraudsters confined him to a hotel room as part of their 'digital arrest' modus operandi, an official said on Thursday.

The man was untraceable on Wednesday and was not answering phone calls, after which his kin approached police, Deputy Commissioner of Police Abhinay Vishwakarma said.

"When we reached a hotel room on the basis of clues, the victim was talking to a fraudster through video call. The accused was dressed in a police uniform and was telling the victim he had been 'digitally arrested' in connection with a criminal case filed in Mumbai. When police reached the hotel room, the victim got scared and hid his mobile phone in his clothes," the DCP informed.

The victim has told police his 'digital arrest' ordeal started after he got a phone call from a Dubai number on Wednesday and he was forced to book a hotel room, the official said.

He remained locked inside for four hours till law enforcers arrived to rescue him, the official added.

The victim was in danger of losing Rs 26 lakh to the accused if police had not reached in time, Vijay Nagar police station in charge Chandrakant Patel said.

'Digital arrest' is a modus operandi in which cyber fraudsters contact victims through audio or video call posing as law enforcement officers. The victims are threatened in the name of non-existent cases, made to stay confined in rooms and then forced to pay extortion money to get "released". PTI HWP ADU BNM