Ghaziabad: Amid growing concerns regarding the digital scams in Delhi-NCR, another shocking case emerged where an 82-year-old woman from Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, was digitally arrested by some fraudsters posing as Mumbai Police officers.

The cyber criminals also defrauded the woman of Rs 9 lakh within three days, as per reports.

What exactly happened?

The elderly woman, who lives in Indirapuram's Windsor Park, received a landline call on February 10 with an automated voice message warning her that her phone connection would be disabled. To avoid the disconnection, the voice advised her to press 9 on the device, which ultimately transferred her call to the fraudsters.

As per a report by ETV Bharat, the caller posing as Mumbai Police informed the woman that her bank account was under investigation in a fraud case, along with 300 others. They also urged her to install Telegram, where they made her speak with someone with the profile picture of Mumbai Police to obtain her trust.

The scamsters further tricked the elderly woman into revealing her sensitive bank account details and Aadhaar-related information. Unfamiliar with online banking, she was also pressured into visiting the bank and transferring Rs 9.18 lakh via RTGS, with the false promise that the money would be returned within hours.

How did the police uncover the fraud?

The scam came to light when the woman's daughter noticed a transaction alert and immediately contacted the bank. Realising her mother had been duped, she lodged a complaint on the cybercrime portal on February 13.

ADCP Crime Sachchidanand confirmed that a case was registered at the cyber police station, although the complaint reached them 10 days after the fraud occurred.

Authorities have since asked banks to freeze the suspicious transactions, while efforts are underway to identify and apprehend those responsible. The officer also clarified that the concept of "digital arrest" does not exist in the police system, urging the public to disconnect such calls immediately and report them to the cyber cell.