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Victims say they were kept on a video call for nine hours and forced to strip for a fake medical exam after being accused of money laundering by fraudsters posing as Mumbai police.
In this representative AI-generated image, two women sit anxiously in a Bengaluru apartment during a coercive video call, as a faceless impersonator posing as police looms on screen, a reminder of the growing threat of ‘digital arrest’ scams targeting women online. (IMAGE: IMAGEN 3 ENGINE)
Two women in Bengaluru were blackmailed into stripping on a video call and cheated out of money by cybercriminals posing as Mumbai police officers in a fake ‘digital arrest’ scam.
The women, one of whom is a 46-year-old tech worker and the other a yoga instructor visiting from Thailand, were kept on a video call for nine hours on July 17. During the call, they were allegedly ordered to strip for what the fraudsters described as an “online medical examination” to identify birthmarks and tattoos. The criminals secretly recorded the video and later used it to threaten the women, according to a police complaint accessed by news agency PTI.
The ordeal began when the two friends received a call from a person claiming to be an officer from Mumbai’s Colaba police station. The caller accused them of being involved in a money laundering case linked to Jet Airways. When the women denied the allegations, the fraudsters shared accurate details of one victim’s debit card to build trust.
The scammers also sent forged documents, including an arrest warrant and a fake CBI ID card, the news agency’s report said. These materials were convincing enough that the women believed they were dealing with real law enforcement officials. “We weren’t allowed to leave the house, as they claimed we were under surveillance,” the complainant said, according to PTI.
The fraudsters then asked the women to transfer money to a bank account for “verification purposes” and promised the amount would be refunded. The yoga instructor ended up transferring ₹58,447.
The suspects later insisted on a medical clearance, during which they ordered the women to undress on camera. Claiming it was necessary to match identifying body marks, they coerced them into stripping, unaware that the video was being recorded.
Eventually, one of the women managed to call a friend who advised them to end the call and stop all transfers. When the scammers could not reconnect, they sent the women screenshots and video clips, threatening to leak them. Both women deleted the files and approached the East CEN police station, where a case was filed under the Information Technology Act and relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police are investigating the scam and have urged the public not to share personal information or comply with video call demands from unknown callers posing as officials.
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev…Read More
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev… Read More
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