Kolkata Man Arrested for ₹3 Crore Digital Arrest Scam

Kolkata, May 12: A man has been arrested in Kolkata for allegedly extorting ₹3 crore from a woman in Haryana by threatening her with a ‘digital arrest.’ The accused, identified as Rahul Roy, was apprehended with the assistance of Kolkata police in the Bansdroni area of South Kolkata.

According to a senior police officer, members of a cyber fraud gang reportedly siphoned off ₹3 crore from the account of an elderly woman, who is the wife of a former army officer residing in Panchkula, Haryana.

The incident occurred a few months ago when the cyber fraudsters, posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials, contacted the victim. They claimed that a parcel sent in her name contained drugs and asserted that she was under “digital arrest,” preventing her from leaving her home.

As alleged evidence, the scammers showed her a video call and sent multiple fake documents via WhatsApp. To escape the situation, she transferred ₹3 crore to the fraudsters’ account.

Later, she filed a complaint at the Panchkula police station in Haryana. Upon investigation, Haryana police discovered that a portion of the ₹3 crore had been transferred to a bank account in Kolkata.

Based on this information, the police identified Rahul Roy, a resident of Bansdroni. Recently, a joint team from Kolkata and Haryana police raided his residence. After his arrest, he is being taken to Haryana, while the police have launched a search for other members of the gang.

In a related incident, cyber fraudsters recently targeted an elderly woman in the Nayabad area of South Kolkata, extorting ₹12.55 lakh from her in two installments under similar threats of ‘digital arrest.’ The scammers had posed as police officers, claiming that the woman was accused of fraud and cheating.