Mumbai: Elderly Woman Duped of ₹1 Lakh by Cyber Criminals Posing as Delhi Crime Branch Officers

A shocking case of cybercrime has emerged from Vile Parle East, Mumbai, where cyber fraudsters duped an elderly woman of ₹1 lakh. The criminals impersonated officers of the Delhi Crime Branch and subjected the woman to a 24-hour "digital arrest." They scared her by falsely accusing her of having 17 harassment cases registered against her and tricked her into transferring the money.

According to the complaint filed by the victim, the Vile Parle police have registered a case against unknown individuals and have started investigating the matter.

How the Incident Unfolded:

As per the Vile Parle police officials, the complainant, Tarulata Jayesh Gohil (58), received a call on her mobile phone on the evening of September 29 at around 4 PM. The unknown caller asked for her name and claimed that her mobile number was linked to her Aadhaar card and had 17 harassment cases registered against it. He further stated that one of these cases led to a girl's suicide before abruptly ending the call.

Twenty-four minutes later, the woman received another call. This time, the caller identified himself as an officer from the Delhi Crime Branch and reiterated that her number was involved in 17 harassment cases.

Digital Arrest and Extortion:

Shortly after, the woman received a video call from another number. The fraudster, pretending to be a police official, instructed her not to panic but to follow his orders. He ordered her not to contact anyone or use social media for 24 hours. She was further told to keep the video call active throughout the period, and even if she disconnected, she was to send messages stating that everything was fine.

The woman complied and continued sending messages until the morning of September 30. Later that day, she received another call, during which the fraudster threatened to arrest her entire family unless she transferred money. Panicked, the woman transferred ₹1 lakh to a UPI ID provided by the criminals, in two transactions.

It was only when the victim’s daughter became aware of the situation that she realized her mother had been a victim of cyber fraud. Following this, the elderly woman lodged a complaint at the Vile Parle police station. The police have registered the case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act, and Sections 3(5), 318, and 319(2) of the BNS.

The police are continuing their investigation into the matter, urging the public to be cautious of such fraudulent calls.