Elderly Bengaluru Woman Duped of ₹24 Crore in Digital Arrest Scam, Six Arrested

The Karnataka Cyber Command Unit has busted a major digital arrest scam network in which six accused allegedly cheated a 74-year-old woman of Rs 24 crore by impersonating senior officials of central investigative agencies.

According to police, the accused posed as officers of the CBI and Enforcement Directorate and used sustained intimidation tactics, including fake FIRs , forged legal notices , and court-style documents , to convince the victim that she was under a serious criminal investigation. The fraudsters maintained continuous audio and video call contact , creating a controlled environment in which the victim was kept under constant psychological pressure and prevented from seeking outside help, a method increasingly seen in such scams.

Between February 10 and April 24 , the woman was coerced into transferring money through 26 transactions , which were routed across 23 mule bank accounts spread across multiple states. The layered structure of these accounts was used to obscure the flow of funds and delay detection while the money was quickly dispersed through an interstate network.

The fraud came to light when a bank flagged suspicious transactions and alerted the Cyber Command Unit . Acting on the alert, officials intervened, counselled the victim, and stopped further transfers. Immediate action helped prevent additional losses, with authorities saving about Rs 3 crore at the intervention stage.

Subsequently, coordinated efforts using the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and banking alerts led to the freezing of multiple mule accounts linked to the racket. Officials said account blocking and court-related procedures helped prevent and recover additional funds, taking the total amount safeguarded to over Rs 4 crore , while recovery efforts continue.

Six accused were arrested from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, and Bihar , indicating a wide interstate syndicate involved in operating mule accounts and handling money laundering layers. Six mobile phones allegedly used in the scam were also seized during the operation.

Police said the investigation is still ongoing to identify the wider network responsible for orchestrating the impersonation calls and managing the laundering chain.