Will arrest your family if you don’t comply: Fake cops dupe Bengaluru retiree of Rs 1.62 crore

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Oct 21, 2025: Cybercriminals posing as law enforcement officials conned a 66-year-old retiree from west Bengaluru of Rs 1.62 crore by keeping him under so-called “digital arrest” for 14 days.

The scam involves criminals intimidating victims into constant online surveillance under the false claim of being under digital arrest, a concept that does not exist in law.

In this case, Ramesh G (name changed) received a call at 2.30 pm on September 27, claiming that investigators had recovered his identification documents during a raid at a luxury hotel in Mumbai.

The caller, posing as a police officer, alleged that a case had been registered at the Mumbai cybercrime department and even shared a fabricated case number — 15386/MUM/2025, the FIR noted.

Shortly after, Ramesh received a video call from a man identifying himself as Inspector Kuldip Singh of the same cybercrime station. Dressed in police uniform, Singh allegedly threatened Ramesh, saying cases of human trafficking and money laundering had been filed against him.

“I was told to share my personal and bank details. If I did not comply, I was threatened that my family and I would be arrested,” Ramesh stated in the FIR.

Fearing legal trouble, Ramesh followed their instructions and revealed details of his savings and fixed deposits.

"They made me close all my FDs and transfer the money to my ICICI account. They claimed it would be verified to ensure it was not linked to illegal activities. They then obtained OTPs from me and, between September 29 and October 10, transferred Rs 1,62,77,160 to their accounts,” he said.

During this period, the scamsters kept Ramesh under constant video surveillance, warning him to stay online at all times.

A case was registered on October 15 after the criminals stopped contacting him and he approached the police. Investigations are ongoing.