Bengaluru Lecturer Loses Rs 2 Crore in Elaborate Digital Arrest Scam: Forced to Sell Properties

The scammers instructed her to download a specific mobile application (Representational Image)

Bengaluru:

A lecturer from Bengaluru fell victim to a sophisticated "digital arrest" scam, losing approximately Rs 2 crore after being manipulated into selling her apartment and two residential plots to satisfy the demands of fraudsters.

The victim, who worked as a lecturer and resided with her 10-year-old son in a Vignan Nagar apartment, received a phone call in June from an individual claiming to be a courier official. The caller alleged that a suspicious package connected to her Aadhaar card had been intercepted.

The call was then transferred to individuals impersonating Mumbai Police officers. These fake officers threatened her with immediate arrest and commanded her to remain indoors until they completed their verification process.

The imposters pressured her to install a particular mobile application and warned that her son would suffer consequences if she failed to comply with their demands.

Concerned about her child's wellbeing, she followed their instructions. Under duress, she sold two plots in Malur at below-market prices and subsequently sold her Vignan Nagar apartment as well.

All proceeds from these property sales were directed to bank accounts controlled by the scammers. Additionally, she took out a bank loan and transferred those funds to the fraudsters.

In total, Babita Das lost approximately Rs 2 crore to this elaborate scheme.

The criminals eventually instructed her to visit her local police station to recover her money before suddenly ending the call. Their phones were later found to be switched off.

The victim has since filed a formal complaint at the Whitefield Cyber Crime Police Station, and authorities have initiated an investigation into this digital arrest scam case.