Nippani man put under digital arrest, duped of Rs 5 lakh

Belagavi: In a case of cyberfraud, a 60-year-old man from Nippani town was allegedly cheated of over Rs 5 lakh by fraudsters who posed as Mumbai Crime Branch officials and threatened him with a digital arrest in a fake money-laundering case.According to the complaint, the victim, Abhimanya, held a savings account at the Bank of Maharashtra, Nippani branch, and his mobile number was linked to the account. The fraudsters contacted him on his mobile phone and initiated a video call, during which they claimed to be officers from the Mumbai Crime Branch.
The callers allegedly told him that a money-laundering case was registered against him and cited a suspicious mobile number linked to the case. They further threatened that he would be immediately digitally arrested and claimed an investigation was already under way.To intensify the pressure, the accused reportedly kept the victim on a continuous video call and instructed him not to contact anyone. They assured him that the case could be cleared if he cooperated with them.Under fear and pressure, the complainant transferred Rs 5,01,000 from his City Union Bank account through RTGS, as instructed by the callers. Soon after receiving the money, the accused allegedly cut off all contact.Realising he was duped, the victim approached the police. A case was registered against unknown persons at the Belagavi district CEN police station two days ago. Police said technical tracking of the mobile numbers and bank accounts involved was under way.