Octogenarian dies weeks after losing Rs 1.2 crore in ‘digital arrest’ fraud

An 83-year-old Pune resident died of heart attack a month after being duped of Rs 1.2 crore in a "digital arrest" scam, where fraudsters posing as police and CBI personnel targeted him and his wife, officials said on Thursday.

The fraudsters threatened the man, a retired government official, claiming his name had surfaced in a money-laundering case involving a prominent person, they said.

"The man's wife filed a complaint on Tuesday, a week after he died of heart attack," a Cyber Police Station official said.

'Digital arrest' is a fraud aimed at extorting money from victims using fear, deceit and intimidation. Fraudsters impersonate law-enforcement officials, using threats of arrest and freezing of bank accounts, among others, to force the victims into paying money as “fine” or sort of “security deposit” to avoid legal action.

The Pune-based man received a call in August from a person claiming to be an officer from Colaba police station.

"The caller cited the 'Naresh Goyal money laundering case' and told the man that his involvement had come to light, but he denied. During another video call, two fraudsters posing as IPS officer Vijay Khanna and CBI officer Daya Nayak threatened that he and his wife would be arrested," the cyber police official said.

The couple was then forced to remain on a video call for hours, during which they were told that they were under "digital arrest", the police said.

Under the pretext of verifying their bank accounts, the fraudsters allegedly coerced them into transferring Rs 1.19 crore into multiple accounts between August 16 and September 17, assuring that the amount would be returned once their names are cleared, as per the police.

"After learning about the fraud, we asked the couple to come and file an FIR, but they said they would do so only after their daughter arrives from abroad," the official said.

The man died of a heart attack last week.

"The fraud and the heart attack cannot be directly linked. His wife, along with their daughter, later approached the Cyber police station. Based on her complaint, a case has been registered and further probe is under way," the official added.