Bengaluru techie loses Rs 32 cr in ‘digital arrest’

A case has been registered in connection with a 57-year-old woman allegedly losing about Rs 32 crore in a sophisticated ‘digital arrest’ scam that lasted over six months, which is perhaps the largest cyber fraud of this type in Karnataka, police said on Monday. Posing as CBI officers, the fraudsters enforced what is called as “digital arrest” by holding her under constant Skype surveillance. They used threats of arrest to coerce her into sharing all financial details and to make 187 bank transfers. In her complaint, the software engineer of Indiranagar in the city stated that the ordeal lasted for over six months, until she got a ‘clearance letter’ from the fraudsters. “In total, through 187 transactions I stand deprived of a total amount of approximately Rs 31.83 crores, which were deposited by me,” she said. The woman has asked the authorities to investigate the entire incident. @@@