A 55-year-old woman from Surat allegedly lost Rs 73 lakh in a digital arrest scam after fraudsters posing as government and law enforcement officials accused her of links to terror funding and money laundering, police said.
The woman, a resident of Adajan, received the first call on September 30. The callers allegedly claimed that multiple mobile numbers had been registered using her Aadhaar details and threatened her with arrest. They reportedly impersonated officials from several agencies, including the National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate, Reserve Bank of India and Supreme Court, to make the accusations appear credible.
According to her complaint, the fraudsters pressured her to remain available for 180 days and keep the alleged investigation confidential. They also sought details of her bank accounts, fixed deposits, property, gold and locker contents.
The woman was allegedly forced to raise gold-backed loans worth Rs 29.34 lakh and Rs 15.79 lakh from Fedbank Financial Services Ltd (Fedfina). The combined amount of Rs 45.13 lakh was transferred to accounts specified by the callers, adding to her financial losses.
The accused reportedly claimed that Rs 2 crore had passed through 247 bank accounts and that Rs 20 lakh had been credited to an account opened using her documents. They allegedly shared purported police documents and photographs to reinforce the threats.
The woman approached the national cybercrime helpline at 1930 on October 21 after realising she had been cheated. Surat cybercrime police registered an FIR on October 26 and launched an investigation into the alleged fraud.
The case highlights how digital arrest scams exploit fear, impersonation and secrecy to manipulate victims into transferring money or taking loans. Police are investigating the callers’ identities, the documents used and the accounts that received the funds.
