A retired engineer and his wife in Bengaluru lost Rs 4.79 crore to cyber fraudsters, who placed them under "digital arrest" over their alleged involvement in a money laundering case and non-payment of credit card bills.
The two accused - Eshwar Singh and Narayan Singh Chaudhary - have been arrested and a detailed probe is underway, Bengaluru Southeast Deputy Commissioner of Police Sarah Fatima said.
Providing details, Ms Fatima said the retired engineer and his wife were targeted and placed under "digital arrest" by the scamsters for two-and-a-half-months.
"The couple was forced to pay Rs 4.79 crore on the pretext of credit card dues and their purported involvement in money laundering. The accused threatened the couple with action from the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate. Fake arrest warrants were also issued to the couple," she said.
The retired engineer earlier worked in Nigeria, the officer added.
"Following an investigation, Singha and Chaudhary were arrested. Rs 10 lakh was recovered from Singh and Rs 1.08 crore from Chaudhary's bank accounts," she said.
One of the accused allegedly travelled to a Sri Lankan casino with the stolen money. "A Look Out Circular was issued against him and he was arrested on his return to India," Ms Fatima said.
According to cyber law expert and advocate Pawan Duggal, "digital arrest" is the phenomenon of trying to put somebody in a sense of fear and panic and thereafter, going ahead and extorting money from the said person under some mistaken notion so as to make the said person a victim of a cybercrime."
There have been several advisories warning people that there is no provision for 'digital arrest' or online investigation in Indian law enforcement and yet, several people have fallen prey to such scams, losing crores in the process.
The Centre has also warned about a widespread cyber scam targeting individuals across the country. It said the scam involved fraudulent letters threatening people with 'digital arrest' unless they comply with the scammers' demands.
In October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew attention to 'digital arrests' and warned people against such activities. "Beware of digital arrest frauds. There is no system like digital arrest under the law. No government agency will ever contact you via phone or video call for such an investigation," he said.
