Scammers pose as cops, put Noida woman under ‘digital arrest’, cheat her of Rs 8 lakh

Noida: A woman from Sector 34 has been cheated of over Rs 8 lakh in a "digital arrest" scam. Police said the scammers posed as cops, saying a money-laundering case had been registered against her. An FIR was registered at the cyber crime police station on Wednesday.The woman told police that she had received a phone call on Feb 12 from a man who identified himself as Gautam. He said agencies were probing the purported case.She then received a video call from a place that appeared to be a courtroom. The scammers told her that her name could be cleared if she allowed the money in her bank accounts to be "verified". Convinced that she needed to cooperate to avoid arrest, she transferred more than Rs 8 lakh to accounts provided by the scammers within 24 hours.They assured her that the money would be restored once the accounts were "verified". When she attempted to contact them for the refund, the calls went unanswered and she realised she had been cheated.The woman lodged a complaint on National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, following which police registered a case against unknown persons. Officials said the bank accounts used in the fraud are being traced and efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved.