Mangaluru: Senior citizen loses Rs 34.48 lakh in digital arrest scam

Mangaluru: Senior citizen loses Rs 34.48 lakh in digital arrest scam

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Aug 6, 2026: A 66-year-old resident of Mangaluru was allegedly duped of ₹34.48 lakh in a "digital arrest" scam after cyber fraudsters impersonating officials of the Data Protection Board of India and the Mumbai Police threatened him with legal action.

According to the complaint, the victim received a phone call on July 10 at around 3 pm from a person identifying himself as Aman Kumar Sharma, claiming to be an official of the Data Protection Board of India. The caller alleged that someone had fraudulently obtained a SIM card using the complainant’s identity documents and was using it for illegal activities.

The call was then transferred to individuals posing as officers from the Colaba Police Station in Mumbai. They asked for the complainant’s identity card number and later claimed that a person named OM Abdul Salam had opened a bank account in the complainant’s name using those details.

The fraudsters further alleged that nearly ₹2 crore had been transferred through the account and falsely accused the complainant of receiving ₹20 lakh as commission. They claimed that a criminal case had been registered against him and that a Supreme Court arrest warrant had been issued.

To make the threat appear genuine, the callers warned that unless he cooperated, all the money in his bank accounts would be transferred to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for verification. They assured him that the funds would be returned after the verification process.

Believing the claims, the complainant transferred ₹34,48,094 through multiple RTGS transactions to bank accounts specified by the fraudsters between July 12 and July 27. The accused promised to refund the amount within two days.

However, when no money was returned and the callers stopped responding, the complainant shared the incident with acquaintances, who identified it as a "digital arrest" cyber fraud after reviewing the sequence of events and the victim’s mobile phone.

Based on the complaint, the CEN Crime Police Station has registered a case and launched an investigation into the fraud.