The Mumbai Cyber Police has arrested a 20-year-old youth in connection with a “digital arrest” scam, in which an 81-year-old woman from South Mumbai was duped of a staggering ₹7.8 crore.
According to police officials, the arrested accused has been identified as Kartik Chaudhary, a resident of Malvani. He is alleged to have provided his bank account details to another accused, through which ₹1.98 lakh was transferred from the victim’s account.
Investigations revealed that Chaudhary withdrew the amount and handed it over to another accomplice, whom he had come in contact with via the Telegram app. In return, he received a commission.
Interestingly, the elderly woman had not lodged a complaint herself. Police sources said they received information about the massive fund transfer through internal inputs. Acting immediately, a team reached the woman’s residence. Initially, the victim refused to let them in, suspecting the officers were not genuine policemen. Later, with the help of her daughter and the building’s landlord, police managed to convince her that she had indeed fallen prey to a fraud.
Subsequently, an FIR was registered against unknown persons. Officials said that this arrest marks a crucial step in curbing the rising cases of digital frauds in the city. Meanwhile, Mumbai Cyber Police is conducting further investigations to trace other members of the racket.