70yo woman loses Rs 3cr in 60 days of digital arrest

Dehradun: A 70-year-old woman was allegedly put under digital arrest for 60 days and duped of Rs 3 crore by cyber criminals who claimed to be officers from Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing a money laundering case in Dehradun.According to police, the incident took place between Sept 1 and Oct 30 last year, and came to light after the septuagenarian filed a complaint at the state cyber-crime unit on Friday. An FIR was subsequently registered under sections of BNS and the IT Act.A man first contacted the senior citizen on Whatsapp on Sept 1, a police officer, investigating the matter, said, adding that he claimed to be a CBI officer and told her that her phone number had been found in a money laundering case estimated to be around Rs 68cr.The officer further said that the accused then sent her fake documents of CBI and the RBI pertaining to the ‘case' in which her name was mentioned. Hearing the claims, the woman became worried and agreed to comply, the officer added. "The accused told her that she would be put under digital arrest till the ‘investigation' of all her investments and bank accounts is complete. Out of fear, she shared her confidential banking and finance related details before ending up transferring a total sum of Rs 3cr to the bank accounts mentioned by the perpetrators. After receiving the amount, the scamsters stopped all contact with her. Eventually, she realised that she was a victim of cyber fraud," said the officer.SSP of STF and state cyber cell, Ajai Singh, said, "We have registered a case of cheating and impersonating others and initiated a probe to nab the accused at the earliest. We also want to appeal to people to not fall prey to any such calls and immediately inform the nearest police station or contact the cyber-crime helpline number 1930."