Hyderabad man loses ₹30 lakh in ‘digital arrest’ scam after fraudsters pose as officials
HYDERABAD: A 55-year-old private employee from Malkajgiri allegedly lost ₹30 lakh in a “digital arrest” cyber fraud after scammers posing as government officials threatened him with arrest and forced him to transfer money.
According to police, the complainant, Rameswarapu Sekhar, a resident of Old Safilguda under Neredmet police station limits, received a phone call on March 4 from a mobile number claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
Fraudsters claim Supreme Court freeze order
The caller allegedly told him that he was involved in illegal activities and that a freeze order had been issued by the Supreme Court of India along with an arrest order from the chief of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad.
The caller instructed the complainant to download the Arattai app, saying it worked like WhatsApp. The caller also threatened him with arrest and loss of employment if he failed to cooperate.
As the complainant was not comfortable speaking Hindi, the caller reportedly connected him to another person who spoke Telugu.
Fake officer pressures victim to transfer money
During the call, another person claiming to be a “chief investigation officer” joined the conversation and spoke politely with the complainant. The caller allegedly asked whether he knew a particular individual, which he denied.
The fraudsters then showed him a debit card allegedly issued by Canara Bank in his name and claimed it had a balance of ₹36 lakh. When the complainant said he had never opened an account with the bank, the caller allegedly threatened that both he and his wife would be arrested.
The suspects also claimed that his name and Aadhaar number were registered with the Mumbai Crime Branch.
Money taken under pretext of verification
The callers asked the complainant to share details of all his bank accounts and assets for verification. They later demanded ₹30 lakh to issue a “Non-Involvement Certificate”, assuring him that the amount would be refunded after the investigation.
Believing the claims and acting under pressure, the complainant broke his fixed deposits and transferred a total of ₹30 lakh.
Later, he realised that he had been cheated by unknown persons through impersonation and threats. Police registered a case and are investigating the incident.
