Thane senior citizen loses ₹1.56cr in 'digital arrest' scam
A 64-year-old retired Indian Railways officer from Badlapur, Thane, lost ₹1.56 crore after falling for a "digital arrest" scam.
Fraudsters posed as officials and connected him to a person claiming to be from the Mumbai Crime Branch, accused him of serious crimes like sending obscene messages and money laundering, and pressured him into Aadhaar verification with a fake Mumbai Crime Branch officer.
Scammers sent forged documents, including a fake FIR
The scammers sent forged documents, including a fake FIR and an Interpol Red Notice, over Telegram, then demanded huge payments to a bogus RBI account.
The officer ended up breaking fixed deposits, emptying savings, and even selling gold to transfer the money starting on February 12.
When his friend stopped him from selling more jewelry for another ₹25 lakh demand, he finally went to the police.
Authorities have traced the money trail to a Nanded bank account linked to a firm in Sambhajinagar and are now investigating while urging banks to watch out for large transactions by senior citizens.