65-Year-Old Woman Loses ₹43 Lakh in “Digital Arrest” Scam, Wrong IFSC Code Saves ₹9 Lakh

A shocking case of cyber fraud has come to light in Solapur, where a 65-year-old woman was duped of ₹43 lakh by scammers through a so-called “digital arrest” scheme. The fraud came to notice only after the woman’s family visited her and learned what had happened. A case has now been registered with the cyber police.

The victim, identified as Kasture, lives alone in Solapur. She received a call from unknown fraudsters who falsely claimed that her SIM card had been used to watch pornographic videos and that her bank account was linked to illegal transactions. They told her that large sums of money had been transferred from a person named Goyal into her account.

The scammers then threatened her with cases allegedly filed by the CID and Enforcement Directorate. They told her she could be arrested at any moment and pressured her to stay on a video call continuously, claiming she was under “digital arrest.” They instructed her not to move away from the camera and demanded money to settle the matter.

Frightened by the threats, the elderly woman broke her fixed deposit and transferred a total of ₹43 lakh to the fraudsters. However, while sending the final instalment of ₹9 lakh, she accidentally entered the wrong IFSC code, which prevented the transaction from going through and saved that amount.

The truth came out when her daughter and son-in-law visited her and noticed something was wrong. After hearing the entire incident, they immediately approached the cyber police. Based on their complaint, the police have registered a case and begun investigation.

Authorities have once again urged citizens—especially elderly individuals living alone—to stay alert and never trust callers who pose as police, government officials, or enforcement agencies. They also advised people to verify such claims through official channels and to report suspicious calls to the cybercrime helpline 1930.