Ajmer: A businessman and his wife were allegedly digitally arrested for four days in Ajmer and duped of Rs 40 lakh by a cybercriminal posing as policeman from Colaba police station in Mumbai. He charged the couple with serious offences of money laundering, drug trafficking and managed to defraud them.The couple, identified as Elvis Michal (59) and his wife Peggy Michal (57), residents of Saraswati Nagar, Dholabhata, registered a case Wednesday.According to police, the couple in the complaint said they received a video call on July 15. The call came on Peggy’s mobile, and the caller, dressed in a police uniform, introduced himself as an officer from the Colaba police station in Mumbai. He claimed that a serious investigation has started against them and instructed them to cooperate, contact no one, and not leave their home until the exercise is over, they stated in the complaint.The couple received another call from a different number, with the caller introducing himself as an officer from the cybercrime wing and the national crime records bureau, and claiming they were investigating a money laundering crime. The caller asked questions and later told them to deposit Rs 14 lakh online for a land purchase to save themselves. He also demanded information about their fixed deposits.On July 18, the callers contacted the couple again, asking them to transfer the fixed deposit money of Rs 26 lakh to the number they provided. In total, Rs 40 lakh were transferred from the couple’s account.“We were threatened if we did not cooperate during the investigation, the Mumbai police would come and arrest us as they had a lot of evidence against us,” said the complaint.On July 23, after speaking to acquaintances, the couple went to the police station and filed an FIR.ASI of the cyber police station, Chotu Singh, said, “We have registered a case. Primarily, this is an organised crime, which is under investigation. We have taken the account numbers to which the money was transferred and also the mobile numbers. We appeal to people to remain alert against such callers.”
