Scamsters Force Mumbai Woman To Strip, Steal ₹1.7 Lakh In ‘Digital Arrest’ Scheme

A 26-year-old woman from Mumbai was forced to undress over a video call and was cheated out of ₹1.7 lakh. The cyberfraudsters had pretended to be Delhi Police officials by claiming that her name has appeared in the ongoing money laundering probe. The victim is a pharmaceutical company employee residing at Borivali East who came to know of the enormity of the scam only after she had transferred the amount and followed the scamsters’ instructions.

It all started on November 19 when the woman received a phone call from people who introduced themselves as officers from the Delhi Police. They informed her that her name had appeared in an investigation into money laundering against Naresh Goyal, founder of Jet Airways, who is in jail now. They threatened to arrest her and laid the foundation for this really scary scam.

The ‘Digital Arrest’ Trap

Within no time, the conversation became heated when the scammers demanded that the woman join a video call. During the call, they informed her that she was under “digital arrest” and directed her to book a hotel room where they could carry out their “interrogation.” She obliged, thinking she was appearing in an official investigation.

Once she had moved into the hotel, they continued to manipulate her. They told her that to confirm her bank account details, she had to transfer ₹1,78,000. They made her strip during the video call also, saying it was part of a “body verification” procedure. In their blind belief, she even transferred the money.

She then lodged a complaint with the police on 28 November after she realized that she had been cheated. A case has since been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act. Investigations into the scam are in progress.

Similar Scams In The Past

This is not an isolated incident. In a similar scam, fraudsters used the name of Naresh Goyal to cheat Shri Paul Oswal, chairman, Vardhman Group, out of ₹7 crore. In both cases, the victims were informed they were under “digital arrest,” a fraud technique on the rise.

Understanding ‘Digital Arrest’

“Digital arrest” is a new type of online fraud where the criminals convince their victims that they are under virtual arrest and must stay connected via video or audio calls. Victims are told to not inform anyone about this situation, and they will be kept in this so-called “virtual arrest” until they transfer money to these fraudsters. As the police repeatedly issued advisories stating that such a concept did not exist, the increasing number of “digital arrest” scams shows that many people – especially those who are not very updated with technology – are still caught off guard.

The usual targets of these scams have been senior citizens, but fraudsters in the past few months have targeted young adults as well. The police are still urging the public to be very careful about this increasing danger and not to be easily tricked by scammers portraying themselves as law enforcers or government officials.

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