R.K. Puram Woman Duped of Rs 21 Lakh in Fake Digital Arrest Scam

A 68-year-old woman residing in R.K. Puram Colony in Hyderabad was allegedly duped of Rs 21 lakh after cyber fraudsters placed her under a fake digital arrest, threatening her with immediate detention over fabricated claims of involvement in illegal activities.

The victim, who has been living alone following her husband's death, was first contacted by the fraudsters on September 1. An individual initially called her and identified himself as a telecom official named Prasad. Shortly afterwards, another man introduced himself as Rajesh Kumar, claiming to be a legal advisor.

The suspects informed the elderly woman that her identity was connected to unlawful activities and warned that she would be taken into custody. Posing as police and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) personnel, the fraudsters then subjected her to a fake interrogation conducted over video calls, keeping her under continuous psychological pressure.

Terrified of being arrested, the woman complied with their instructions and transferred a total of Rs 21 lakh into several bank accounts specified by the criminals.

However, the harassment did not stop after the initial transfers. When the suspects continued to threaten her and demanded additional sums of money, she grew suspicious and alerted her son about the ongoing ordeal on September 5.

Upon learning of the extortion, her son approached the authorities and submitted a formal complaint with the Cybercrime police on Sunday.

Cybercrime police officials have registered a case and launched an investigation to trace the perpetrators and track the bank accounts used to receive the extorted funds.