Mumbai: The menace of cybercriminals conducting fake “digital arrests” to extort large sums of money shows no signs of slowing down in Mumbai. The latest incident occurred in Goregaon West, where cyber fraudsters impersonated an officer from the Delhi Crime Branch. They digitally detained a 61-year-old man for 8 hours, falsely accused him of involvement in a money-laundering case, and tricked him into transferring ₹71 lakh from two of his bank accounts.
The victim, a 61-year-old retired employee of a private company, filed a complaint against two unknown individuals at the Mumbai Police’s North Region Cyber Station, which is now investigating the case.
According to senior officers from the North Cyber Cell, the incident began on September 24, 2024, at 8:37 AM and lasted until 4:28 PM. The victim received a call from an unknown individual who claimed to be a customs official. The caller informed the victim that an international parcel addressed to him had been seized, containing 16 passports, 58 ATM cards, and 180 grams of MDMA drugs. The caller then connected the victim via video call to another fraudster posing as a Delhi Crime Branch officer named Sunil Kumar.
The fake officer sent the victim a copy of his fraudulent police ID and an arrest warrant, declaring him “digitally arrested.” He instructed the victim to keep the video call active and not contact anyone during the process. The fraudster then demanded the victim’s bank account details, threatening further action unless he complied. Upon obtaining the account information, the criminals transferred ₹71.24 lakh from the victim’s accounts, promising that the money would be returned after the investigation.
When the promised refund did not materialize, the victim realized he had been defrauded and reported the crime to the police. The police have launched an investigation to identify and apprehend the culprits.
