Bengaluru: A 78-year-old homemaker and her daughter were recently duped of Rs 2.1 crore by cybercriminals posing as officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a “digital arrest” scam. The accused targeted the elderly woman, a resident of Jayanagar, by convincing her that she was linked to a terror case.The ordeal began on April 13, when the fraudsters contacted her via a WhatsApp call. One of the callers introduced himself as an NIA officer and claimed that her name had surfaced during an investigation into the Popular Front of India (PFI), a banned organisation, after a member was allegedly found using a debit card issued in her name.He warned her not to disclose the matter to anyone, citing the sensitivity of the case. The caller then obtained details about her family members, along with copies of their identification documents. The fraudsters further claimed that the woman’s daughter was also under suspicion in the same case. To lend credibility to their claims, the scammers conducted video calls that appeared to show a police station setting. A man identifying himself as Pradeep Jaswal recorded statements from the elderly woman and her daughter, warning them not to disclose the matter and threatening public arrest if they failed to comply. When the frightened victims insisted they had no links to any terror group, the fraudsters assured them they would be safe if they cooperated.On the pretext of verifying money trails—purportedly the only way to avoid arrest—the accused persuaded the woman to share her bank details. After obtaining information about her accounts and balances, they instructed her to transfer funds to multiple accounts they provided, claiming the money would be returned after verification in accordance with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines.Trusting the fraudsters, the woman transferred her life savings and went to the extent of prematurely closing fixed deposits in two banks. She transferred the proceeds to the accused, who further deceived her into pledging her gold to raise additional funds. Acting on their instructions, she availed a gold loan and transferred that amount as well to the fraudsters’ accounts.Between April 15 and April 23, she carried out a series of RTGS transactions to multiple accounts provided by the accused, including those of individuals and private firms. The transfers—Rs 38 lakh, Rs 26 lakh, Rs 31 lakh, Rs 39 lakh, and Rs 68 lakh—amounted to Rs 2.1 crore, effectively draining her savings as well as funds belonging to her daughter and other sources.Even after receiving Rs 2.1 crore, the fraudsters continued to demand more money. The scam came to light only when the elderly woman approached her brother for additional funds on May 2. Sensing that something was wrong, he alerted her that she was being duped. She immediately contacted the cybercrime helpline 1930 and subsequently filed a police complaint.A senior police officer stated that a case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 308 (extortion), 318 (cheating), and 319 (cheating by personation), at South-East Cyber Crime police station. Efforts are under way to trace the accused and freeze the amount transferred to their accounts.
