A woman from Mangaluru was swindled out of ₹61.15 lakh by cybercriminals posing as police officers under the pretext of a fake “digital arrest” investigation.
According to her complaint, the ordeal began on June 19 when she received a call from a man who identified himself as Investigation Officer Sandeep from Colaba Police Station. Speaking in English, the caller accused her of being linked to crimes such as human trafficking, drug smuggling, and money laundering—allegedly through her identity card and bank account.
Soon after, two more unknown callers contacted her, pressuring her not to disclose anything to anyone, including her husband. They threatened that if she revealed the matter, her husband could lose his job.
On June 20, another caller, claiming to be an officer named Mohit Kumar, reached out via WhatsApp video call. He collected sensitive personal information such as her PAN card and bank details under the guise of verification. She was then asked to transfer large sums of money for “investigation procedures,” with assurances that the amount would be refunded.
Fearing legal consequences, the woman transferred ₹61.15 lakh in multiple RTGS transactions between June 21 and July 9. It was only when the extortion continued that she confided in her family and realised she had been conned.
A case has been registered at the Cyber Economic and Narcotics (CEN) police station, and an investigation is underway.