Former bank officer placed under ‘digital arrest’ for 54 days, ends up losing ₹40 lakh

In a major cybercrime, a retired bank manager was allegedly put under “digital arrest” for 54 days by fraudsters, who have extorted ₹40.90 lakh from him. The person was threatened by the accused and told that they will implicate him in the Delhi bomb blasts as well as a money laundering case, according to Mumbai Police.

The accused are believed to have presented themselves as officials from the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). They forced the victim to fulfill their demands by creating an atmosphere of fear and psychological pressure, IANS reported.

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The Mumbai Police has identified the victim as Rajendra, a former manager at the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank. He ended up transferring large amount of money to the accused persons, including liquidating his stock market investments.

How it happened?

It all started on March 10 when Rajendra received a video call through the Signal app. The account showed the name “ATS Department”.

The person on the other side identified himself as PSI Singh and claimed to be associated with the Delhi ATS. He allegedly told the victim that his name had surfaced in connection with the bomb blasts in the national capital, which took place in January. Besides this, the accused even claimed Rajendra’s involvement in a money laundering case.

Further, the victim was informed that a bank account was fraudulently opened at a bank branch in Karnataka using Rajendra’s Aadhaar card details and mobile number. Using that account, suspicious transactions around ₹2.65 crore were carried out. To further intensify the threat, the fraudsters showed him an order by the Supreme Court and warned of immediate arrest as well as confiscation of his assets, according to IANS.

Thereafter, they put Rajendra under constant surveillance via video calls and even asked him to isolate himself in a separate room at home. He was allegedly ordered to avoid talking to anyone and follow their directions strictly.

Due to this, Rajendra got under extreme mental pressure and initially transferred ₹2.90 lakh. However, the accused did not stop here and Rajendra was coerced into selling shares worth ₹29 lakh from his stock market investments.

Out of this, ₹28 lakh was siphoned off into multiple bank accounts that was controlled by the fraudsters.

Later on, the accused told Rajendra to pay ₹10 lakh under the pretext of “bail security”. Shockingly, this amount was arranged by his wife through a loan. He was informed by them that the entire amount would be refunded within two days and the case against him would be resolved.

After receiving the money, the fraudsters cut off all communication with the victim. Rajendra waited for a few days, but did not receive any response from them. Soon after, he released that he had been duped.

Subsequently, a complaint was filed with the national cybercrime helpline 1930 on May 3. Rajendra even filed a formal complaint with the Mumbai Cyber Cell on May 4.

Further investigation in the matter is currently underway.