Woman sells flat, plots after scammers put her under 'digital arrest', loses Rs 2 crore

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A Bengaluru-based woman lost nearly Rs 2 crore after scammers put her under "digital arrest" and forced her to sell her flat and two residential plot in order to pay them, NDTV reported.

The victim, a techie, works with a software company and lived with her 10-year-old son in Vihnan Nagar. The incident happened in June when she got a call from someone who told her was a courier official and said that a suspicious piece of baggage that was linked to her Aadhaar card had been found and seized.

The call was transferred to someone who claimed to be officials from the Mumbai Police, who then threatened to put her under arrest. They then told her that she could not step out unless her verification was complete.

She was asked to install a specific mobile application and the fraudsters also said that her son would face consequences if she failed to cooperate with them.

The woman complied with the instructions and in distress, made the sales to pay them. She then forwarded the money from the property sales to the bank accounts linked to fraudsters and she also took a loan to pay the scammers.

The fraudsters later told her to visit a nearby police station to retrieve the money before abruptly cutting the call and switching off their phones.

The woman has now filed a complaint at the Whitefield Cyber Crime Police Station, and police have launched an investigation into the digital arrest scam, NDTV further said.