21-Year-Old Woman Arrested for Rs 20.5 Lakh Digital Arrest Scam Impersonating Mumbai Police

Alappuzha:

The Alappuzha Cyber Crime Police have detained a 21-year-old woman from Mysuru who allegedly extracted Rs 20.5 lakh from a victim through an elaborate "digital arrest" scam. Chandrika, identified as a primary suspect in the case, participated in intimidating the victim with falsified evidence and phone calls purportedly from Mumbai Police headquarters.

Police reports indicate that the scammers initially reached out to the employee of a private company via WhatsApp. The caller, claiming to be Neha Sharma from Mumbai Police, informed the victim that someone had created fraudulent bank accounts and obtained mobile numbers using his identity, allegedly using these for financial crimes worth crores of rupees.

The fraudsters accused the victim of accepting Rs 25 lakh as "commission" and claimed that Mumbai Police possessed "evidence" of this activity. They threatened to place him under "digital arrest" unless he cooperated with their investigation. To enhance credibility, they shared manipulated bank statements, ATM card images, photographs, and forged documentation through social media platforms.

Under pressure, the victim was directed to transfer all available funds from his accounts to two specified accounts provided by the scammers. He transferred Rs 20.5 lakh with the expectation that the money would be returned "after verification" of his innocence.

The victim realized he had been defrauded when the perpetrators ceased all communication. He subsequently filed a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, leading to the Cyber Crime unit registering a case on October 4.

Investigators discovered that Chandrika had received Rs 11.5 lakh in her personal bank account. After she failed to respond to a notice delivered to her Mysuru residence, authorities apprehended her in Ashokapuram, Mysuru.

According to police, the phone number connected to Chandrika's bank account was registered under the name of Surojith Haldar from West Bengal, who is currently being sought by authorities. Another suspect linked to a second beneficiary account is believed to be located in Andhra Pradesh, with searches ongoing.