Saved Rs 1.2 crore for daughter's wedding, man loses it to 'digital arrest' scam

A man in Jharkhand's Sahibganj district was allegedly duped of Rs 1.20 crore by cybercriminals posing as CBI officers who kept him under "digital arrest" for nearly two months, news agency PTI reported on Wednesday.

Gautam Chandra Das was threatened with arrest in a fake CBI case and allegedly forced to transfer money to multiple bank accounts on around 10 occasions, Sahibganj DSP (Headquarters) Ravikant Sao told the news agency.

Das told police that he had saved the money for his daughter's wedding.

Fake CBI Case, Fake Courtroom

The ordeal began in June when Das received a call from a person identifying himself as Pradeep Singh, who claimed to be a senior CBI officer.

The caller allegedly told Das that a serious case had been registered against him and that arrest proceedings could soon begin.

The cybercriminals then allegedly kept him under "digital arrest" through video calls, claiming he was under surveillance. To make the scam appear genuine, the accused allegedly created a fake courtroom and made Das appear before a purported CBI court through video calls on three occasions.

During the sessions, he was allegedly threatened with legal action, fines, and arrest. He was also asked to transfer money to different bank accounts on the pretext of closing the case or protecting him from arrest.

Police Trace Money Trail

Das realised that he had been duped and first informed a relative before approaching the police.

"An SIT is scrutinising the bank accounts, mobile numbers, and transaction trails used by the cybercriminals. The police aim to trace the flow of the defrauded funds to locate the perpetrators and expose their network," Sao said.

The investigation is now focused on tracing the money and identifying those behind the alleged fraud.