Greater Noida Woman Loses ₹24 Lakh in ‘Digital Arrest’ Cyber Scam

Greater Noida: A 63-year-old woman from Greater Noida West lost ₹24 lakh to cybercriminals who trapped her in a “digital arrest” scam, police said on Saturday.

The victim, a housewife whose husband works with the Lok Seva Aayog, received a call on November 7 from a person claiming to be a senior officer from an investigative agency. The caller falsely told her that a criminal case had been registered against her and that she would be arrested soon.

According to police, the fraudster warned the woman that her home was under surveillance and that any attempt to inform others would lead to a raid. Out of fear, she followed the caller’s instructions and transferred ₹24 lakh to various accounts.

“After three hours, she finally informed her family, who realised she had been duped,” said a police officer.

Ranjeet Singh, station house officer of the Cybercrime Branch, said the woman lodged a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). A case has been registered under sections 308(2) (extortion), 318(4) (cheating), and 319(2) (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the IT Act.

Police have begun efforts to trace the culprits and recover the money. Officials urged the public to report such threat calls immediately on the NCRP portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) or at the nearest police station.