Mumbai: A 68-year-old South Mumbai woman was duped of Rs 3 crore by a gang of cyber criminals who placed her under ‘digital arrest’ and accused her of being involved in a fake money laundering case, police said.The fraud occurred between Aug 21 and Sept 12. The woman, who lives alone, first received a WhatsApp video call from a man claiming to be a Mumbai police officer. He told her that her name had surfaced in a money laundering case.She was later contacted by other members of the gang, who allegedly posed as officials of National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). They told her that the case was serious and threatened that she could be arrested at any time. The accused then told the woman that, being a senior citizen, she would be questioned online and placed her under digital arrest.The fraudsters sought details of her bank accounts, fixed deposits and financial transactions. They then directed her to transfer her funds to bank accounts provided by them, claiming that govt agencies would verify the money to establish whether it was legitimate and not linked to any crime. They assured her that the funds would be returned after verification.Believing the callers were genuine police personnel, the woman transferred Rs 3.02 crore in three separate transactions. When the money was not returned and the callers stopped responding, she confided in her brother, who realised that she had been cheated. She then approached the south region cyber police station and lodged an FIR on Sept 14. A team led by DCP Bajrang Bansode, comprising senior inspector Nandkumar Glopale and sub-inspector Dipesh Shinde, is investigating the case.……….
