A 60-year-old woman from Kolkata's Lake Town area was swindled out of a staggering Rs 28 lakh in a sophisticated 'digital arrest' scam, where fraudsters impersonating Mumbai police officers used fear, intimidation, and gruesome threats against her daughter to coerce the payment.
The Three-Day Ordeal of Fear and Intimidation
The victim, a resident of Dumdum Park Road, filed a formal complaint with the Lake Town police station on January 7. According to her complaint, the nightmare began with a phone call, which quickly escalated into a barrage of calls and WhatsApp messages from unknown numbers. The callers falsely claimed that her Aadhaar number had been misused to open fraudulent bank accounts connected to a major financial scam.
They asserted that unless the 'illegal money' was recovered from her accounts, both she and her only daughter would be arrested. To make their threats appear legitimate, the fraudsters sent WhatsApp images bearing the Maharashtra Police logo, posing as law enforcement officials.
Exploiting Real-Life Crimes to Instill Terror
The scammers took psychological manipulation to a horrifying level. They repeatedly warned the terrified woman that if she informed anyone about the communication, her daughter would meet a fate similar to victims of recent high-profile crimes. They specifically referenced the brutal RG Kar rape and murder case.
"They specifically referenced the recent RG Kar rape and murder incident, claiming that a similar fate would befall my daughter if I informed anyone," the victim stated in her complaint. Isolated and under extreme duress, she was instructed to delete all WhatsApp chats and maintain absolute secrecy.
The Financial Fallout and Police Response
Acting under this sustained panic, the victim prematurely broke her fixed deposits and transferred Rs 28 lakh via RTGS to accounts specified by the fraudsters over the three-day period. It was only after she finally confided in her daughter that the devastating reality of the fraud dawned on her.
Following the realisation, she reported the crime to the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate and also lodged a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Police have registered an FIR and are now attempting to trace the beneficiary accounts to freeze and recover the stolen funds.
An officer reiterated a crucial public advisory: "No police or government agency conducts arrests, investigations or settlements over phone or WhatsApp, nor do they ask for money transfers." Citizens are urged to report any suspicious communication immediately to the cybercrime helpline 1930 or the official cybercrime portal.
