An investigation into a Rs 3 crore digital arrest fraud in Maharashtra led to the rescue of another elderly woman in Delhi who had already transferred Rs 27 lakh to cyber fraudsters, after Maharashtra Cyber traced a suspicious bank transaction and alerted the Delhi Police in real time.
The 74-year-old woman from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar had allegedly been duped of approximately Rs 3 crore in a digital arrest scam. Maharashtra Cyber's technical team was assisting the local police in examining the financial transactions and tracing the movement of the defrauded money when it uncovered a possible second victim.
During the investigation, the team traced approximately Rs 89 lakh of the defrauded amount through a Layer-1 mule account. An examination of the account revealed a fresh Rs 14 lakh credit through a Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) transaction from another individual via UCO Bank.
The transaction raised suspicions that the sender could be another victim being targeted by the same cyber fraud network. Maharashtra Cyber immediately traced the transaction backwards and issued an urgent notice to UCO Bank to obtain the sender's Know Your Customer (KYC) details.
The examination established that the sender was a woman residing in New Delhi. Further analysis indicated that she was potentially being subjected to an ongoing digital arrest scam and was at risk of transferring more money to the fraudsters.
Maharashtra Cyber alerted the Delhi Police on October 13, sharing transaction details and technical intelligence to facilitate immediate action. Acting on the information, Delhi Police traced and rescued the elderly woman. An FIR is being registered in connection with the incident, according to Maharashtra Cyber.
The woman had already transferred approximately Rs 27 lakh to the fraudsters. However, the timely intervention prevented further transfers and helped protect her remaining savings.
Maharashtra Cyber said the case demonstrated how real-time transaction analysis and coordination between police forces in different states could help identify active cyber frauds beyond the scope of the original investigation.
The agency also warned citizens, particularly senior citizens, against digital arrest scams in which fraudsters impersonate police officers, investigating agencies or other government authorities and threaten victims with arrest or legal action to extort money.
Maharashtra Cyber reiterated that there is no legal procedure called a "digital arrest" in India. Legitimate law enforcement agencies do not arrest people through video calls or demand money to prevent arrest or legal proceedings.
Citizens have been advised not to panic, share sensitive banking details or transfer money in response to such threats. Anyone who suspects they have been targeted by cyber fraud should immediately contact the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930.
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