A major digital arrest case has come to light in the Santa Cruz area of Mumbai, where cyber fraudsters, posing as CBI officers, allegedly duped an 81-year-old man of ₹10 lakh. According to the police, the fraudsters, pretending to be investigating officers, made a video call to the elderly man on December 9. The man, who had returned to India from Hong Kong a few weeks ago, was threatened with arrest in a human trafficking case unless he transferred money into a specified account.
The police stated that the complainant is a retired individual who had been living with his son in Hong Kong. Due to the extreme cold weather abroad, he returned to Mumbai and had been living alone in his Santa Cruz residence since then.
As per the FIR filed by the police, the alleged CBI officer told the victim that due to his involvement in human trafficking and money laundering cases, he was under house arrest. The fraudster also ensured that the victim would not leave his house or seek help from anyone. Under the pretext of an investigation, the conman convinced the elderly man to transfer ₹10 lakh to a bank account via RTGS.
The elderly man later reported to the police that after transferring the amount, he tried calling the CBI officer’s number, but it was switched off. Only then did he realize he had been scammed. The Santa Cruz police have registered a cyber fraud case under relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act, and efforts are underway to trace the accused.