Despite Bank Warning, Doctor, Gripped by Fear, Transfers ₹58.50 Lakh in ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam

Rajkot: Despite being warned by bank officials that a transaction could be fraudulent, a retired woman doctor in Rajkot transferred ₹58.50 lakh to a cyber fraudster’s bank account after being kept under “digital arrest” for four days.

The woman had initially approached Bank of Baroda to transfer ₹21.50 lakh, but bank officials questioned the transaction and warned her against depositing the money. However,  frightened by threats from the fraudsters, she transferred the money in several instalments to a Kotak Bank account specified by them.

The fraud began on September 21, when the woman received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number. The caller allegedly introduced himself as Sanjay Singh from Mumbai Police and claimed that her Aadhaar card and ATM card had been found during a raid linked to a money-laundering case involving Hitesh Mehta, a manager of India Co-operative Bank in Mumbai.

The caller allegedly told her that her name had surfaced in the case and that several accused had already been arrested. He later connected her with another person, identified as DCP Anil, who appeared in police uniform during a video call.

The fraudsters allegedly threatened to arrest her and told her not to inform her family or anyone else. On September 25, they allegedly claimed that a court had ordered her to remain under house arrest and instructed her to follow their directions.

They subsequently obtained details of her bank accounts, investments, mutual funds and fixed deposits.

On September 27, the woman allegedly transferred a total of ₹58.50 lakh to the specified Kotak Bank account in instalments. The fraudsters reportedly assured her that the money would be returned with interest after verification. It was not returned.

Bank intervention prevents further loss

Bank employees later alerted the police after detecting the suspicious transactions, helping prevent the woman from transferring additional money.

The Cyber Crime Police Station has registered a case based on the complaint and initiated action against the accused, including the caller and the holder of the Kotak Bank account.

Police have again warned that no police department or government agency carries out an arrest through video calls or places a person under “digital arrest.” People receiving such calls have been advised not to transfer money or share banking details and to immediately contact the Cyber Crime Police.