A 71-year-old Pune resident was allegedly defrauded of Rs 22 lakh after cybercriminals threatened to implicate him in a child trafficking case and place him under “digital arrest”, according to a complaint filed with Vishrantwadi police. The fraud reportedly took place between October 5 and 15.
The resident, from the Mohnawadi area along Alandi Road, approached the police after being pressured to transfer money to several bank accounts. A case has been registered against the mobile phone user and bank account holders allegedly involved in the fraud.
According to information provided by the police, the accused contacted the complainant through a WhatsApp call while posing as officials from the Department of Telecommunications in Delhi. The caller allegedly told him that a Canara Bank account had been opened in his name in Matunga and had been used in a suspected financial irregularity involving Rs 3 crore.
The caller further claimed that a child trafficking case had been registered against the senior citizen in Karnataka. The threat of arrest and “digital arrest” was allegedly used to intimidate him and prevent him from disengaging from the call or seeking immediate help.
The fraudsters then allegedly told the complainant that the money had to be transferred for digital verification. Acting on those instructions, he deposited a total of Rs 22 lakh into different accounts, the police said. The complaint identifies the mobile number used to contact him and the bank account holders who allegedly received the funds.
The case highlights the use of impersonation, fabricated criminal allegations and prolonged phone-based intimidation in digital arrest scams. In such cases, victims are made to believe that they are under investigation by a government or law-enforcement agency and are pressured to transfer money under the pretext of verification or securing their accounts.
Vishrantwadi police are investigating the transactions, the phone number and the accounts into which the money was deposited. Police Inspector (Crime) Sampat Raut is conducting the further investigation.
