Fraudsters Posed as Delhi Police Officers, Threatened Victim With Money Laundering Case
Palampur: A woman in Palampur subdivision of Kangra district was allegedly duped of ₹15 lakh after cyber fraudsters kept her under a so-called “digital arrest” for seven days and threatened her with arrest in a money laundering case.
According to the complaint, the woman received calls from two different numbers on September 18. The callers identified themselves as officials of the Daryaganj Police Station in Delhi and claimed that her bank accounts had been misused for illegal activities and money laundering.
The fraudsters allegedly intimidated the woman by telling her that she was implicated in a serious criminal investigation. Under the pretext of conducting an inquiry, they kept her under constant surveillance and instructed her not to contact family members, friends or anyone else.
Fearing arrest and legal action, the woman eventually transferred ₹15 lakh through NEFT to a bank account whose account number and IFSC code were provided by the fraudsters.
After making the transfer, she realised that she had fallen victim to a cyber scam and approached the Cyber Police Station in Dharamshala, where a Zero FIR was registered on the basis of her complaint. Police have initiated an investigation into the fraud and the accounts used to receive the money.
Cybercrime officials have repeatedly warned that “digital arrest” is a tactic used by fraudsters to create fear and pressure victims into transferring money. Scammers often impersonate police officers or officials of other investigative agencies and conduct fake interrogations through video calls.
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has also cautioned the public against such scams. Fraudsters may falsely claim that a person’s bank account, SIM card or identity documents have been linked to criminal activities and use the threat of arrest to extract money.
There is no legal provision for “digital arrest” in India. Police or other investigative agencies do not have the authority to place a person under arrest through a video call and demand money for clearing an investigation.
Police advised people not to share bank account details, OTPs or other sensitive information with unknown callers. He also urged people not to transfer money in response to threatening or suspicious calls and to immediately report any suspected cyber fraud to the nearest police station.
