Elderly woman gets back ₹17 lakh lost in digital arrest scam after police action in Mangaluru
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Mangaluru: Mangaluru City Police have helped an elderly woman recover the ₹17 lakh she had lost in a “digital arrest” scam. The money was symbolically handed over to the victim at the Police Commissioner’s office in the presence of DCPs Mithun and Ravishankar.
Explaining the case, DCP Mithun said that on October 23, a 79-year-old woman from Bejai received a WhatsApp call from a person posing as a police officer. The caller falsely claimed that an arrest warrant had been issued against her and threatened her with immediate detention unless she deposited money for verification purposes.
Fearing arrest, the woman was kept engaged on a WhatsApp video call for nearly five hours, a method fraudsters use to simulate a “digital arrest.” During this time, she went to her bank and transferred ₹17 lakh from her savings account to the scammer’s account by around 3 pm.
Later that evening, around 6 pm, she confided in a neighbour, who immediately accompanied her to the Cyber Crime Police Station to file a complaint. Acting quickly, the police contacted the 1930 cyber helpline and had the recipient account blocked. They also coordinated with the bank manager to confirm that the money was still intact.
On October 24, the police submitted a request to the court to release the frozen funds. Due to the intervening holidays, the court issued an order on October 27, after which the money was transferred back to the victim’s account.
DCP Mithun said the quick complaint and immediate action by the police made it possible to recover the entire amount. He pointed out that in most such cases, victims delay reporting due to fear or embarrassment, making recovery difficult.
In Mangaluru city limits alone, cybercriminals have duped victims of over ₹8 crore this year in eight different cases. So far, police have recovered ₹35.98 lakh. Elderly citizens are said to be the most frequent targets of digital arrest scams.
DCP Mithun warned the public that there is no legal process called “digital arrest” in India. He clarified that law enforcement agencies such as the police, judiciary, CBI, or ED do not operate in such a manner. He urged people not to panic or comply when they receive such calls, and instead, disconnect immediately and contact the Cyber Crime Police.
He also noted that digital investment scams are on the rise. Many people lose money by investing in fake trading platforms without verifying whether they are approved by RBI or SEBI. The police are conducting awareness campaigns in neighbourhoods and educational institutions to alert citizens about such frauds, he added.
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RSS man's defamation case against Rahul: Key witness unavailable, hearing adjourned to Dec 20
Thane (PTI): A court in Bhiwandi in Thane district on Saturday adjourned the hearing in the criminal defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker to December 20 due to non-availability of a crucial prosecution witness.
Advocate Narayan Iyer, counsel for Rahul Gandhi, confirmed the adjournment, stating that the witness, Ashok Saykar, currently Deputy Superintendent of Police in Barshi in Solapur, could not remain present due to personal reasons.
Saykar's evidence is now likely to be recorded on December 29.
His testimony is considered key because he, as police sub inspector in 2014, conducted the preliminary inquiry into the private defamation matter under Section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
It was on the basis of Saykar's submitted report that the court subsequently issued process (summons) against Rahul Gandhi under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The criminal defamation case was filed by local RSS worker Rajesh Kunte following a speech given by Rahul Gandhi at an election rally near Bhiwandi on March 6, 2014.
The case stems from the Congress leader's alleged statement that "the RSS people killed (Mahatma) Gandhi."
The matter is being heard by Bhiwandi Joint Civil Judge, Junior Division, P M Kolse.
The hearing had previously been adjourned on November 15 after the complainant's counsel, Advocate Prabodh Jaywant, moved an application seeking permission to examine Saykar, who had submitted the probe report to the court.
The matter was originally scheduled for November 29 but was deferred to December 6 after Rahul Gandhi's legal team sought an adjournment citing their non-availability. The proceedings will now resume on December 20.
