One-Month Digital Arrest: Rs 3.8 Crore Stolen From Mumbai Woman, 77 By Online Scammers -Horror Story

A 77-year-old woman from Mumbai was reportedly tricked into transferring Rs. 3.8 crore to scammers who pretended to be law enforcement officers. This scam lasted a month, reportedly the longest recorded of its kind.

The fraud began when the woman, a homemaker from South Mumbai, received a WhatsApp call. The caller claimed a parcel she supposedly sent to Taiwan had been intercepted. The scammers, pretending to be police, told her the parcel contained illegal items like passports, drugs, and a bank card, a PTI report said on Friday.

Mumbai Woman Duped: False Narrative

They showed her a fake notice from the crime branch and insisted that her Aadhaar details were involved. She was then instructed to download Skype, where she was contacted by a man posing as an IPS officer named Anand Rana. He and another scammer, pretending to be from the finance department, pressured her into transferring money for an investigation. They promised a refund if she was innocent.

Duped Money Worth 3.8 Crore

The scammers kept the woman on the line for hours, even threatening her if the call was disconnected. Over a month, she transferred a total of Rs. 3.8 crore. She initially sent Rs. 15 lakh. The case and the money were unknown until the woman told her daughter about it, at which point everything became clear.

This type of scam, known as "digital arrest," is becoming more common, with authorities repeatedly warning people to stay alert to avoid falling victim to such fraud.