BELAGAVI: In one of the biggest cyber fraud cases in the state so far, an 81-year-old businessman in Belagavi has been cheated of Rs 15.45 crore by cyber criminals by placing him under ‘digital arrest’.
The police said the victim, a resident of Agarkar Road in Tilakwadi, received a WhatsApp call on February 5 from individuals posing as officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). They told the businessman that SIM cards registered in his name were linked to illegal activities, and one of them had been used to contact a senior executive of Jet Airways. They also told him that the official has already been arrested.
The cyber criminals then told the businessman that he was under investigation in a money-laundering case involving Rs 25 lakh and that he had received a commission of Rs 5 lakh.
They again contacted him between February 7 and March 9, and coerced him into transferring money multiple times, ultimately siphoning off Rs 15.45 crore.
A complaint was filed with the cybercrime police on March 18.
Several accounts frozen, Rs 90L recovered
Investigators have since frozen several bank accounts linked to the accused and managed to trace Rs 90 lakh and block it from being withdrawn. A special team has been formed to track the perpetrators and recover the remaining amount.
Belagavi Police Commissioner Bhushan Gulabrao Borse said that no legal provision of digital arrest exists in India and urged citizens not to fall prey to such threats or claims. He said no law-enforcement agency in the country conducts the investigation through WhatsApp calls.
Cybercrime officials warned that fraudsters are increasingly impersonating officers from agencies like CBI and RBI to create fear and manipulate victims into transferring money.
Senior citizens and business owners are being targeted in particular, as they are more prone to comply under pressure.
