Yogesh K Porwar
A 70-year-old resident of Abbaiah Reddy Layout in Kaggadasapura has filed a complaint with the East Division Cyber Crime Police alleging that he was “digitally arrested”by fraudsters who extorted Rs.76.65 lakh from him over a period of nearly three weeks.
The complainant,a resident of C.V. Raman Nagar in Bengaluru,stated that he first received a call on his landline from an unknown number on February 2.
The caller claimed that a landline number was registered in his name and was allegedly being used for illegal activities.
According to the complaint,the caller introduced himself as “Mr.Atul Kumar,”claiming to be an employee with ID number 150989.
He informed victim that a complaint had been registered against him,citing a case number MH 1045/1025.
The caller later took his mobile number and contacted him via WhatsApp,claiming to be Sub-Inspector Uday Madhukar Patil from the Mumbai Police.
During a video call,the fraudster allegedly accused him of involvement in money laundering, drug trafficking,and operating four illegal bank accounts.
Despite his repeated denials,the accused allegedly pressured him to transfer money to“verify”whether his funds were legitimate.
The fraudsters also warned him not to share any details of the case with family members, claiming that doing so would interfere with the investigation.
Out of fear,on February 6, 2025,the victim transferred Rs.47 lakh through RTGS to a bank account provided by the accused.
The fraudsters continued to call him daily, posing as senior police officials and demanding further payments.
Between February 6 and February 24,he made three transactions totalling Rs.76,65,000.
It was only after he approached a nearby police station that he realised he had been cheated.He then lodged a formal complaint with the cyber crime police,seeking legal action against the accused and recovery of the defrauded amount.
Based on the complaint police have registered a case and initiated an investigation into the incident.
Officials have reiterated that no law enforcement agency conducts investigations or demands money through WhatsApp calls and have urged citizens to verify such claims before transferring funds.
It may be recalled that on Tuesday,60-year-old from Cambridge Layout in Halasuru has been allegedly duped of Rs.1.16 crore by cyber fraudsters who posed as officials from telecom and law enforcement agencies and placed her under so-called “digital arrest.”
