Mumbai’s Mulund area has witnessed a shocking case of cyber fraud in which an 82-year-old retired woman officer was cheated of nearly ₹5 lakh by fraudsters posing as officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The accused placed the elderly woman under what they called “digital arrest” and extorted money by threatening her with criminal action.
According to the police, the victim, a retired assistant manager residing in Mulund, received a WhatsApp video call on December 15. The caller introduced himself as an ED officer and falsely claimed that a Canara Bank account had been opened in her name and was allegedly used for terror funding amounting to ₹2 crore. To make the threat appear genuine, the fraudsters sent her forged documents on WhatsApp, including fake notices bearing the ED letterhead and fabricated letters purportedly issued by the Supreme Court and the Reserve Bank of India. She was also told that the National Investigation Agency had seized 247 ATM cards linked to the alleged case.
The victim stated that a woman identifying herself as “Kavita” kept her on continuous phone contact and informed her that she was under “digital arrest”. She was warned that failure to cooperate would result in her immediate arrest and imprisonment. Frightened and isolated, the elderly woman arranged money from her bank accounts and, on December 17, transferred ₹4.96 lakh via RTGS to a City Union Bank account named “Kings Mobile”.
The fraud came to light when the victim’s son, who is working in Dubai, received an alert regarding the transaction and contacted his mother. Realising that she had been duped, the family acted swiftly, and the victim’s daughter lodged a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Portal.
Based on the complaint, Navghar police have registered a case against unknown persons, including a woman using the name “Kavita” and the City Union Bank account holder, under sections related to cheating, forgery and extortion. Police officials said efforts are underway to trace the bank accounts and mobile locations used in the scam, and further investigation is in progress.