A woman in Mangaluru in Karnataka allegedly lost Rs 3.16 crore to cyber fraudsters over 17 days in a case of digital arrest that came to light Sunday after she approached the police.
According to her complaint, on June 5, she received a call at 10.25 am from someone claiming to be Inspector Anu Sharma from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). The caller alleged that a SIM card had been activated in her husband’s name and was being misused for fraudulent activities and sharing suspicious links.
According to the FIR, the call was transferred to another person, who allegedly posed as Sub Inspector Mohan Kumar from Mumbai’s Sahar police station and extracted sensitive personal information from the woman. The deception deepened when a third person, claiming to be Public Prosecutor Deepak Venkata Ramana, joined the conversation under the pretence of conducting a formal verification process, the police said.
Under intense psychological pressure and threats of legal action, the woman was allegedly coerced into providing her family’s bank account details. The fraudsters allegedly claimed they needed to “verify” the accounts and assured her that all transferred funds would be refunded after the verification process. They strictly warned her against disclosing the matter to anyone, creating an atmosphere of secrecy and fear, said the police.
Between June 10 and 27, the victim allegedly executed multiple transactions, transferring Rs 3,16,52,142 from both her and her husband’s accounts to various bank accounts provided by the scammers. The criminals allegedly maintained regular contact with her throughout this period, reinforcing their false identities and keeping the victim compliant.
The woman said she realised she had been duped when the fraudsters suddenly stopped all communication and blocked her number after receiving the final payment. She said she understood the full extent of the scam after confiding in her children who immediately recognised it as a fraud.
The Mangaluru cyber, economic and narcotics (CEN) crime police registered a case and launched an investigation.