Sinjini Mitra
According to the police report, a 68-year-old man was reportedly conned of ₹23.5 lakh by cyber fraudsters who threatened him with “digital arrest” in Maharashtra’s Thane district, on Monday.
This is the second such incident reported in the district within a span of a week, raising concerns over the growing menace of cyber fraud targeting the senior citizens.
According to police, the digital fraud took place between December 8 and 12, where two unidentified persons contacted the victim through WhatsApp video call, and posed as law enforcement or government officials.
The accused allegedly claimed that the senior citizen’s bank transactions were suspicious and were linked to financial irregularities.
Assistant Inspector Vinod Patil of Mahatma Phule police station suspected that the con artists harrased the victim by threatening him with “digital arrest” and assured him that legal action could be avoided if he cooperated.
Under repeated pressure and endless threats, the victim was forced to make multiple online money transfers to the fraudsters amounting to ₹23.5 lakh.
Based on the complaint, the Kalyan police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.Police reported that they are analysing bank transaction details, call records and other digital evidence to trace the perpetrators.
Officials and other lawmakers have cautioned the public, especially senior citizens, against falling prey to such scams, noting that “digital arrest” is a false concept often used by con artists to intimidate victims and extort money.