Mattanchery woman loses ₹2.88 cr in ‘virtual arrest’ scam

In yet another instance of fraudsters targeting people in the name of what they call a ‘virtual arrest’, a 59-year-old woman in Mattancherry has allegedly lost ₹2.88 crore. The Mattanchery police on Saturday (September 6) registered a case over the incident after the woman, a home-maker, reportedly went to the station seeking a police clearance certificate following the harrowing experience of undergoing a ‘virtual trial’, police sources said.

The victim fell prey to the scammers, who reportedly used the usual tactic of intimidating vulnerable targets by accusing them of being involved in a massive money laundering case. The scammers contacted the victim, claiming to be from the Tilak Nagar police station in Mumbai. Claiming to be a Mumbai police officer, the caller allegedly told the woman that they found ₹2 crore in a suspicious account belonging to her and they suspected that ₹25 lakh was her commission for laundering the proceeds in a criminal act, police sources said.

“The scammers then convinced the woman that she was placed under ‘virtual arrest’. The accused presented the woman in what they called a ‘virtual court’ and forced her to undergo a trial. She transferred the large sum of money to the dupers’ accounts through multiple instalments after she was convinced that there was no other option to escape the ‘virtual arrest’. The fraudsters instructed the woman not to disclose the matter to anyone and advised her to tell bank officials that the money was withdrawn for medical expenses if they enquire about it,” said a police source.

She went to the police station, unaware that she had been cheated. She wanted the police to issue a clearance certificate stating that there were no cases pending against her. The officers at the station understood the situation and made her understand that she was duped and reported the matter to the cyber helpline, the police sources added.