Mumbai woman loses ₹19cr in digital arrest scam
A 75-year-old woman in Mumbai was tricked out of ₹19.24 crore over four months by scammers using a digital arrest scheme.
Posing as government officials, they accused her of money laundering and FEMA violations, bombarding her with fake calls, WhatsApp videos, and forged documents to make their story believable.
Scammers gave her fake certificate saying funds were 'frozen'
The fraudsters kept her under constant video surveillance and pressured her into selling assets, like her house, gold, stocks, and fixed deposits, to transfer money into accounts they controlled.
They even gave her a fake certificate claiming her funds were just "frozen."
She finally reported the crime in July 2025; now the CBI is investigating an interstate syndicate behind it.
Digital arrest scams have spiked recently, but are thankfully starting to drop after peaking in 2025.