Senior Citizen in Nizamabad Falls Victim to Digital Arrest Fraud

Nizamabad: A 78-year-old resident of Vinayak Nagar was duped in a digital arrest fraud after receiving calls from individuals posing as Mumbai Police officers. The fraudsters claimed that his Aadhaar was linked to a bank account involved in money laundering. They also threatened his wife and kept the couple under digital arrest for nearly 50 hours, from 9 a.m. on August 31 to 11:30 a.m. on September 2.

To build credibility, the fraudsters sent fabricated notices bearing the names of the Supreme Court, CBI, TRAI and RBI. On the pretext of verifying transactions, the victim was coerced into transferring more than ₹30 lakh. Fake receipts in the name of RBI and the Enforcement Directorate were also shared to mislead him.

Friend’s Alert Call Helps Prevent Further Loss

The fraudsters further tried to persuade the senior citizen to take a gold loan by pledging ornaments from his bank locker. When he approached a friend to pledge the ornaments, the friend sensed foul play and alerted the 1930 cybercrime helpline and the Cyber Crime Police Station, Nizamabad.

Officers acted swiftly and stopped the pledge, ensuring that ₹20 lakh from the defrauded amount was put on hold. A case has been registered at CCPS Nizamabad, and investigation is underway to trace the accused.

The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) reiterated that law enforcement agencies, RBI, ED or TRAI do not contact citizens via WhatsApp calls regarding bank accounts, Aadhaar or money laundering. Citizens have been advised not to respond to video calls or share financial details with unknown persons and to immediately report such incidents to 1930 or www.cybercrime.gov.in.