Karnataka: Elderly Couple Saved From ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam
The fraudsters claimed that a Rs 6 crore cheating case had been registered against the couple and told them that they were being placed under “digital arrest.”
Mangaluru: Quick action by a bank manager and Mulki police saved an elderly couple from losing Rs 84 lakh after fraudsters, posing as Uttar Pradesh CID officers, trapped them in a fake digital arrest.
According to the police, Benedict Fernandes (84) and his wife Lilly Sissily Fernandes (71), residents of Damasakatte, about 20 km from Mangaluru, in Mulki police limits, received a WhatsApp call on December 1 from unknown individuals who claimed to be CID officials.
The fraudsters claimed that a Rs 6 crore cheating case had been registered against the couple and told them that they were being placed under “digital arrest.”
The caller then instructed the elderly couple to transfer money from their account for investigation purposes. Believing the claims of the caller, the couple decided to transfer the money. They went to the Canara Bank branch in Kinnigoli to transfer Rs 84 lakh from their savings account to the account number provided by the fraudsters.
Bank manager Royston, who noticed the request for an unusually large transfer, tried to ask the couple. Their inability to give a clear explanation only heightened his suspicion. Instead of processing the transaction, he immediately alerted local beat constable Yashavanth Kumar and intelligence staff Kishore of Mulki Police Station.
The officers of Mulki Police Station who visited the couple’s residence checked their mobile phone and found that they had indeed been subjected to “digital arrest.”
Police contacted the bank and ensured the money was not transferred. They also counselled the couple.
Mulki Police have taken up the case for further investigation, the City Police Commissioner stated in a press statement.