Lucknow: A family was duped of Rs 12.9 lakh by fraudsters posing as Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officers who kept them under digital arrest from 3:25 pm on Mar 16 till 8:30 pm on Mar 18.According to FIR filed at Cyber Crime Police Station, an assistant professor of a govt institute in Delhi and resident of Indira Nagar alleged his parents were targeted on Mar 16. The complainant’s mother received call from unknown number, following which the caller initiated WhatsApp video call from another number and introduced himself as an ATS officer and claimed that Aadhaar details and bank accounts of the family were linked to money laundering and terror activities.They also contacted his father and warned them against communicating with anyone. The elderly couple were monitored constantly—even while they visited the bank.Under pressure and fear, the complainant’s father opened his fixed deposits and transferred Rs 12.9 lakh from his Union Bank account through RTGS on Mar 17 to a private sector bank account in Karnataka in the name of Bharath VR .The complain was also registered on National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Police are examining bank transaction details, mobile numbers used in the crime, WhatsApp call records and other digital evidence to trace the accused. Cyber crime officials reiterated that in “digital arrest” scams, fraudsters impersonate law enforcement or govt agencies to intimidate victims and extort money through fear and isolation. They have advised citizens to report such incidents to cyber helpline 1930 or the NCRP portal.
