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Police Probe Surge of 'Digital Arrest' and Investment Scams Across India as Victims Report Losses Up to Rs 1.61 Crore

Investigators describe social‑messaging cons that funnel money through layered mule accounts across states.

Overview

  • Lucknow police say a 73-year-old retired officer was kept under a 25-day ‘digital arrest’ by callers posing as Mumbai Cyber Crime officials and lost nearly Rs 90 lakh, with Rs 15 lakh frozen as funds were traced through accounts in Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand.
  • A 69-year-old Pune resident filed an FIR after being coerced to transfer Rs 1 crore to accounts in Bhiwandi, Coimbatore, Mahasamund and Chandigarh following threats over fabricated terrorism and PFI links, according to cyber crime officials.
  • Karwar police registered a case after a 72-year-old retired teacher in Uttara Kannada transferred Rs 1.61 crore to a so-called ‘National Fund’ during a fake probe enforced through video calls, uniformed impostors and instructions to provide constant location updates.
  • Secunderabad cybercrime authorities reported a Rs 72 lakh loss in a scheme that began with a Facebook post and shifted to a WhatsApp investment group using bogus trading dashboards, pressure for VIP fees and withdrawal blocks before the group went inactive.
  • Chandigarh police opened a case after a resident lost Rs 3.82 lakh to a WhatsAppTelegram investment pitch, saying they are tracing mobile numbers, Telegram IDs and UPI trails as part of broader efforts to identify the networks behind these frauds.