Pune: Elderly Couple from Koregaon Park Duped of Rs 4 Crore in Digital Arrest Scam

Koregaon Park, 10th January 2025: An elderly couple from Koregaon Park was scammed out of Rs 4 crore by cybercriminals posing as officials from the CBI and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). The fraudsters coerced the couple into transferring the money by threatening them with “money laundering prosecution” and claiming they would be placed under “digital arrest” for two months.

The couple, who run a spare parts manufacturing and supply business, were tricked into making multiple transfers to eight different bank accounts provided by the scammers, under the pretext of verifying alleged money laundering transactions.

Cyber police inspector commented on the incident, saying, “The couple was convinced by the fraudsters that they were under investigation. They transferred the money in phases, believing the transactions were part of an official investigation.”

This scam marks the second largest case of digital arrest fraud recorded by Pune police since November 2023. In a similar incident, a 59-year-old executive from a Mumbai-based software company lost Rs 6.29 crore between November 9 and 14 after falling victim to the same tactics. The victim was also placed under a “digital arrest” at his Pashan residence.

Inspector Yash Nikam, who is leading the investigation, said, “The couple’s children, who live in the city, were unaware of what was happening. The couple never informed them about the situation.”

The fraud came to light when their daughter visited them earlier this week. She noticed her mother appeared distressed and was writing down information as instructed by the scammers. Growing suspicious, the daughter questioned her mother about the activity, and upon learning of the situation, took them to the cyber police.

Following the complaint lodged by the 78-year-old woman on Thursday, a case of cheating was registered. Her husband, aged 80, also became a victim of the scam.

Inspector Nikam explained how the scam unfolded: “In November, the elderly woman received a video call from someone claiming to be a CBI officer investigating a money laundering case involving a well-known businessman. The fraudster then sent a fake arrest warrant, supposedly issued by the DRI. They threatened to arrest her unless she complied.”

He added, “The suspects pressured the woman and her husband into downloading a video calling app, where they were told that a court order mandated they be filmed during their ‘digital arrest.’ The fraudsters restricted them from moving away from their laptop’s camera.”

The fraudsters then demanded bank account details and pressured the couple to transfer money in order to avoid arrest. “The couple transferred the funds, which were generated through their business, to eight different bank accounts over the course of two months,” Inspector Nikam explained.