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4w ago

Ex-Karnataka MLA Duped of Rs 31 Lakh in 'Digital Arrest' Scam as Police Probe Widens

Police are tracing call sources in an active cybercrime probe.

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The victim, a former MLA from Karnataka, was manipulated over video calls, believing he was under investigation, before realizing it was a fraud and reporting it to the police. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)
Image for representation only

Overview

  • Former Aurad MLA Gundappa Vakil was kept under a week-long virtual detention between August 12 and 18 and coerced into RTGS transfers totaling Rs 30.99 lakh after video-call threats by impersonators posing as CBI, ED officials and a judge.
  • Scammers staged a fake online courtroom, flashed forged IDs and warrants, and secured two deposits — Rs 10.99 lakh followed by Rs 20 lakh — purportedly for “verification,” police said.
  • Vakil filed a complaint on September 6 and cybercrime units have registered an FIR under the Information Technology Act and penal provisions, with Bengaluru CCB and Bidar police handling the case.
  • A second complainant from Vijayapura, identified as Shirya Madar, reported an almost identical scheme starting August 12, with combined losses in the two cases reported at over Rs 60 lakh.
  • Investigators are tracking the bank accounts and origin of the calls, and reports note the scammers claimed links to the Naresh Goyal probe to lend credibility to their demands.