Retired Tata Hospital Employee Loses ₹75.5 Lakh in ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam

Mumbai: A 69-year-old retired Tata Hospital employee from BDD Chawl has fallen victim to a shocking “digital arrest” scam, where cybercriminals posing as Delhi Police officers extorted more than ₹75.5 lakh from him over nearly three months.

According to the complaint filed at the Central Region Cyber Police Station, the victim received a call on August 22 from a man claiming to be a Delhi Police officer. The caller alleged that a Bank of Baroda account in the victim’s name was linked to a ₹2.83 crore money laundering case and warned that Mumbai Police would arrest him within two hours. He was told that he was being placed under “digital arrest.”

Soon after, the victim received a WhatsApp video call from another person in police uniform, who introduced himself as “Inspector Gopesh Kumar.” The fraudster showed fake documents, including a Delhi Police letterhead, a list of suspects, and a forged Supreme Court order. Under pressure, the terrified senior citizen was told to pay a “bail amount” that would supposedly be refunded after the inquiry.

Trusting the scammers, the victim liquidated mutual funds worth ₹18 lakh and transferred the money to a bank account provided by the fraudsters on September 1. When further demands were made, he sold his old Borivali house for ₹64 lakh and transferred ₹56.7 lakh more through two transactions on September 29 and October 8 — a total loss of ₹75.5 lakh.

When the promised refund never came and calls to the fake “inspector” went unanswered, the victim realized he had been duped. He then reported the incident to the National Cybercrime Helpline (1930) on October 27.

Following his complaint, an FIR has been registered against unidentified fraudsters for cheating and impersonation. Police said the investigation is underway to trace the accused and the bank accounts used in the scam.

Authorities have warned citizens to remain cautious of such “digital arrest” scams, where cybercriminals impersonate law enforcement officers to intimidate victims into transferring money under false pretenses.