MANGALURU: A person from Puttur taluk lost Rs 1.31 crore after cyber criminals posing as Mumbai Police and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officials trapped him in a ‘digital arrest’ scam.
According to the complaint, the accused contacted the victim through WhatsApp video calls and falsely accused him of transferring money to the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam massacre. They allegedly threatened him with arrest and created fear by claiming that his bank accounts were under investigation.
The fraudsters reportedly asked the victim to transfer money through RTGS to various bank accounts under the pretext of verifying his bank accounts and confirming the source of funds.
Believing their claims, the victim transferred a total of Rs 1,31,50,000 in multiple transactions to the accounts provided by the accused between September 2 and October 6, 2026.
Later, after realising that he had fallen victim to cyber fraud, the complainant contacted the cyber helpline 1930 and lodged a complaint.
The Cyber Crime Police Station, Dakshina Kannada, has registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act and Sections 126(2), 204, 308(6), 318(4), 319(2) and 351 read with Section 3(5) of the BNS.