Bengaluru woman cheated of Rs 24 crore in digital arrest scam

Police later registered a formal complaint and informed the victim’s children, who are currently residing abroad.

Bengaluru : In yet another shocking case of cyber fraud in Bengaluru, police have arrested five persons for allegedly extorting nearly Rs 24 crore from an elderly woman by trapping her in a “digital arrest” scam. The fraud came to light after a bank manager grew suspicious when the woman arrived to pledge over one kilogram of gold ornaments to raise more money for the accused.

According to police, the victim, identified as Lakshmi, a resident of Shivajinagar, had recently received crores of rupees after selling a property. The accused allegedly obtained details of her bank transactions and began threatening her in January this year, claiming that she was involved in illegal money transfers and financial crimes.

Posing as officials, the fraudsters reportedly kept the woman under constant fear and psychological pressure for several months. Between January and May, the accused allegedly extorted around Rs 24 crore from her through multiple bank transactions.

Despite receiving huge amounts, the gang allegedly continued demanding more money. The woman later approached a bank to mortgage nearly 1.3 kg of gold ornaments kept at her house. Sensing something suspicious, the branch manager immediately alerted the police, preventing further financial loss.

Soon after receiving the information, CCB Cyber Crime police rushed to the bank and questioned the woman. Initially, she reportedly hesitated to reveal details about the transactions. However, during sustained questioning, she disclosed that she had been threatened under the guise of “digital arrest.”

Police later registered a formal complaint and informed the victim’s children, who are currently residing abroad.

Based on the complaint, investigators launched an operation across multiple cities and arrested five accused, including Gaurav Kumar and Om Prakash Rajput, from Mumbai, Allahabad and Delhi.

During investigation, police found that the cheated money had been transferred to 22 different bank accounts. Officials have so far frozen one account containing around Rs 60 lakh as part of the probe.

Police said further investigation is underway to trace the remaining money and identify other members involved in the cyber fraud network.