Deputy Commissioner of Police of West Division, Girish S, told reporters that a team of police officials was making efforts to trace and nab the accused
Digital arrest is a form of cybercrime where fraudsters impersonate police or enforcement officials. Representational Pic/File
The Bengaluru police in Karnataka have successfully recovered Rs 14 lakh that Preeti, wife of BJP MP from Chikkaballapura K Sudhakar, lost in a cyber fraud involving a ‘digital arrest’ scam, an official said, reported the PTI.
The incident occurred on August 26, he said.
Digital arrest is a form of cybercrime where fraudsters impersonate police or enforcement officials and intimidate victims through WhatsApp video calls, claiming the victim is implicated in criminal cases.
K Sudhakar's wife Preeti (44), a resident of Basaveshwaranagar, Bengaluru, received a WhatsApp call from cybercriminals pretending to be officials from the Mumbai Cyber Crime Police. They alleged an illegal transfer of funds from her bank account and convinced her to transfer money to an account they claimed belonged to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for verification, promising to return it within 45 minutes. The fraudsters threatened that failure to comply would result in her arrest, according to the PTI.
By coercion, they managed to transfer Rs 14 lakh from Preeti’s HDFC Bank account to an unknown YES Bank account, committing fraud, the police said on Tuesday.
She later lodged a complaint the same evening and also contacted the National Cyber Helpline (NCRP) at 1930 within the critical ‘Golden Hour’, which led to prompt police action.
Following an investigation, the amount transferred to the accused’s account was frozen. On September 3, the 47th ACJM Court ordered YES Bank to return the frozen funds to Preeti’s account.
“Acting on the court’s order, the entire sum of Rs 14 lakh was restored to the complainant,” the police said, as per the PTI.
Deputy Commissioner of Police of West Division, Girish S, told reporters that a team of police officials was making efforts to trace and nab the accused.
He also appealed to people not to panic if they fall victim to such scams.
"If a complaint is immediately lodged (within Golden Hour) with the National Cyber Helpline (NCRP) number 1930, and a case is registered at the nearest police station without delay, prompt action can be taken to prevent losses," he said, the news agency reported.
(with PTI inputs)
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