90-year-old loses ₹1.57 crore in digital arrest scam

A 90-year-old Nerul resident and his wife lost ₹1.57 crore in a 'digital arrest' scam, realizing the fraud only after reading newspaper reports on similar cyber frauds.

The fraudsters posed as officials of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Mumbai Police, using names like Ram Mohan, Daya Nayak, and Dipali.

The elderly couple was told they were suspects in a money laundering case and were kept under constant surveillance via mobile and WhatsApp video calls.

They were instructed to stay confined at home and transfer funds; they liquidated fixed and recurring deposits over months.

The Navi Mumbai Cyber police registered an FIR under BNS sections 318, 308, 204, and the IT Act; the fraud occurred between January 12 and July 30.