Sr citizen loses Rs 3.3 cr in digi arrest scam

Kolkata: A retired civil engineer and IIT alumnus living in New Town who had served leadership role in multiple MNCs lost Rs 3.3 crores in a prolonged “digital arrest” scam, in which fraudsters posing as law enforcement and central agency officials kept him under virtual surveillance for 20 days at home and coerced him into liquidating his life savings.According to the complaint lodged on Monday, the fraud began on Dec16 when the 70-year-old complainant living with his wife at their New Town BB Block apartment inside a cooperative housing society, had received a call from unknown persons claiming to be officers of the Mumbai Crime Branch.The callers alleged that a SIM card had been issued in his name using his Aadhaar details and that as many as 24 separate complaints had been filed against the number, leading to the registration of an FIR.Despite his denial, he was told that he was under investigation for serious offences. The callers then escalated the threat by invoking the names of the CBI and the Supreme Court, and sent forged documents, including an arrest order and a freezing of funds notice.“Under the guise of leniency due to my age, they placed me under “house surveillance” in Kolkata, requiring me to report my whereabouts every two hours and prohibiting me from leaving without permission.

During this period and even now I must report to one “Jay Prabhakar Chouglue” , “he wrote in the complaint before New Town police station. “I was kept under constant fear of arrest and was told that any delay or disclosure would worsen my case.

”He alleged that he was forced to reveal details of all his financial assets after being assured that the exercise was only for “verification” and that the money would be returned once his name was cleared.“Over the next few weeks, the victim liquidated his investments under extreme mental pressure. He sold shares worth over Rs 2.2 crore, prematurely broke fixed deposits in two banks, closed his PPF account and liquidated mutual funds,” a senior officer of Bidhannagar City police said.The net proceeds, amounting to Rs 3,26,84,000, were transferred in multiple RTGS and online transactions to bank accounts provided by the fraudsters.Police records show that the money was routed to accounts held in the names of multiple private firms.The final transfer of Rs 20 lakh was allegedly made after the victim was told it was part of a Rs 1.5 crore bail requirement backed by a fictitious Supreme Court order.The victim grew suspicious only after repeated assurances of a refund failed to materialise. He then shared the matter with a former collague who asked him to lodge a police complaint with immediate effect.