• Source:JND
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IIT Bombay Digital Arrest: In another case of digital arrest, a 25-year-old IIT Bombay student was defrauded of Rs 7.29 lakh by a scammer who impersonated an employee of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The fraudster allegedly threatened the student with a "digital arrest" to pressure him into making the payment, according to the police report released on Tuesday.

"The 25-year-old victim received a call from an unknown number in July this year. The caller posed as an employee of the TRAI and informed him that 17 complaints of illegal activities were registered against his mobile number," an official of the Powai police station in Mumbai was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Digital arrest is a growing form of cyber fraud in which fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officers such as ED, CBI, and police officers during audio or video calls. They use intimidation tactics to scare victims into believing they’re under investigation or facing arrest. 

The caller informed the student that in order to prevent the deactivation of his number, it was necessary to obtain a no objection certificate (NOC) from the police. He then told the victim that he would transfer the call to the Cyber Crime Branch for further assistance.

“A WhatsApp video call then showed a man dressed as a police officer. He demanded the victim's Aadhaar number and alleged that he was involved in money laundering. He coerced the student into transferring ₹ 29,500 via a unified payments interface (UPI)," the police officer said. 

The accused allegedly threatened the victim, claiming that he had been placed under digital arrest and was forbidden from contacting anyone. The following day, the scammers demanded more money, and this time, the victim provided his bank account details. As a result, Rs 7 lakh was transferred from his account. After the transaction, the accused reassured the victim that he was safe and would not face any arrest.

After researching "digital arrest" online, the student realized he had fallen victim to a scam and promptly reported the incident to the police.

In another incident, a 77-year-old woman from Mumbai was duped Rs 3.8 crore by cyber fraudsters posing as an IPS officer and other law enforcement officials. The scammers reportedly kept her under digital arrest for an entire month, claiming she was involved in a money laundering case and threatening her with imprisonment.

The victim, a homemaker living with her retired husband in South Mumbai, was initially contacted by the fraudsters via phone, which marked the beginning of this scam.