In yet another alarming case of cyber fraud, a 66-year-old retired government school teacher from Pedda Amberpet in Telangana fell victim to a ‘digital arrest’ scam and lost ₹10.2 lakh. The incident occurred under the Hayathnagar police limits and has now been reported to the Rachakonda cybercrime wing.
The fraud unfolded on June 23, when the elderly man received calls from two unknown mobile numbers. The callers posed as Bengaluru police officers and accused him of being linked to a phone number used for posting illegal advertisements. They even cited a fabricated FIR to lend credibility to their claims and transferred the call to another person impersonating a crime branch official.
The scam took a sinister turn when the victim was made to join a WhatsApp video call where men pretending to be senior CBI officials showed him a forged Supreme Court document. They further accused him of sending harassment messages and warned that all his mobile services would soon be cut off.
Fearing arrest and convinced of the case’s authenticity, the teacher complied with their instructions and shared sensitive banking details. Over multiple transactions, he transferred a total of ₹10.2 lakh.
It was only after speaking with friends and rechecking the details that he realised it was a scam. He promptly filed a complaint at the Rachakonda cybercrime police station. Authorities have registered a case and launched an investigation.