What is 'digital arrest'? New cyber fraud tactic exploiting victims

Indore: 'Digital arrest' is a new method of cyber fraud, in which the fraudsters scare people by making audio or video calls by posing as law enforcement officers and confine them to their homes by giving them the false pretence of arrest.

A gang of fraudsters allegedly duped a 65-year-old woman of Rs 46 lakh after subjecting her to fake interrogation for five days, in the latest case of 'digital arrest' in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, police said on Tuesday.

A member of the fraudsters gang called the woman last month and posed as an officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Dandotiya said.

"The gang member deceived the woman by saying that a person misused her bank account for drug trafficking, terrorist activities and money laundering and due to her collusion with that person, an arrest warrant has been issued against her," he said.

The fraudster deceived the woman through a video call by saying she was placed under "digital arrest", the official said, adding she was subjected to fake interrogation for five days.

During the questioning, the woman was threatened that if she did not transfer the money deposited in her bank account to the accounts mentioned by the gang, then her and her children's lives could be in danger, he said.

Scared by the threat, the woman transferred a total of Rs 46 lakh in two instalments to different bank accounts mentioned by the gang, he said.

After realising that she was cheated, the woman lodged a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and the police, he said.

Following the complaint, the police on Monday night registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and were investigating the matter, the official added.