Hyderabad: A 67-year-old man lost ₹4 lakh after cyber fraudsters targeted him in a digital arrest scam. The complainant was put under severe stress after being questioned about whether he had any links with the founder of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI).The complainant, a retired insurance company employee, received a call from a person claiming to represent the Data Protection Board of India. The caller alleged that a SIM card issued in the complainant’s name had been used in criminal activities. When the senior citizen denied owning the SIM card, he was connected to a person impersonating a Mumbai police officer.The victim, unaware that it was a fraudulent call, was led to believe that he had been placed under “digital arrest.” The impersonators alleged that he was being investigated for money laundering and other criminal activities and asked him to share his banking details.Subsequently, the complainant was told that during searches conducted against the top brass of the PFI, including former PFI chairperson OMA Salam, an ATM card belonging to him had been found.When he said he did not know the persons mentioned and denied having any links with them, the victim was connected to a video call and made to believe that an IPS officer was on the line to question him.“I was asked about my personal financial details. When I said that I had ₹4.85 lakh, the impersonators asked me to retain ₹85,000 for my medical needs and transfer the remaining ₹4 lakh through RTGS to a particular account for verification. Later, I realised that the callers were fraudsters,” the complainant told the cybercrime police.
