Hyderabad man loses ₹72 lakh in digital arrest scam
An 82-year-old man from Banjara Hills, Hyderabad lost ₹72 lakh in August after falling for a "digital arrest" scam.
The fraud began with a WhatsApp video call from someone pretending to be a Mumbai Crime Branch officer, who accused him of money laundering and threatened to freeze his bank accounts.
Victim staged fake Supreme Court video call
The next day, scammers staged a fake Supreme Court video call and pressured the victim into transferring his life savings for supposed "verification."
He realized it was a scam only after recalling similar stories in the news and reported it to Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police.
Officials stressed that real arrests need physical warrants—never video calls—and urged everyone to double-check suspicious calls with local police before sharing personal info or money.
Digital arrest scams are rising fast in India.