₹51 lakh gone in ‘digital arrest’ scam: How fraudsters targeted retired income tax officer

A retired income tax officer in Mumbai lost ₹ 51 lakh after fraudsters posing as police officers from Lucknow allegedly convinced him that he was involved in a money laundering case, placing him under ‘digital arrest’.

The scammers then told him to transfer his savings as part of the purported investigation, PTI reported. The series of event led to the arrest of a mule account operator, Mumbai police told the news agency on Wednesday.

The case highlights how ‘ digital arrest ’ scams are increasingly targeting older or retired people and using fear of legal action to extort money from these victims.

Indians have lost ₹ 4,057.7 crore in about 2,97,727 complaints over a four-year period, between 2022 and May 2026, media reports suggest.

The retired tax department officer received a video call from an unidentified person who introduced himself as a senior officer from the Lucknow Police.

He allegedly told the victim that a bank account had been opened in a private bank using his details and that transactions involving lakhs of rupees linked to money laundering had taken place through the account, according to the FIR.

The scammers told the retiree that a case had been registered against him and that he would face at least 10 years in prison. This threat seemed to have worked as the victim agreed to follow their instructions, fearing arrest.

"The fraudsters allegedly sent him fake government documents and sought details of his bank accounts. They told him that, until the inquiry was completed, he needed to transfer his bank deposits and other savings to a bank account," police told the news agency.

The complainant transferred around ₹ 51 lakh in instalments to a bank account provided by the fraudsters. However, no further questioning took place.

The arrested man was subsequently identified as Mohammed Safwan Abdul Hameed, has provided bank accounts to cyber fraudsters to facilitate transactions. His interrogation exposed names of several other suspects, and police teams are currently searching for them, an official said.

After realising that he has been scammed, the victim approached the Cyber Cell of the North Regional Division and lodged a formal complaint against the unidentified cyber fraudsters.

Based on technical evidence, police identified Mohammed Safwan Abdul Hameed as a suspect and detained him for further questioning.

Police said Hameed had transferred the money to the main cyber fraudsters and received a fixed commission for facilitating the transactions. He was remanded in police custody by a court. Further investigation is underway. (with inputs from PTI)

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