The fraud came to light when the accused switched off their phone and stopped all communication after receiving money from the victim.
Cyber fraudsters posing as Mumbai police digitally arrested a 35-year-old software engineer in Bengaluru for 20 days, threatened him with criminal cases, before extorting over ₹34 lakh from him.
Based on a complaint filed by the victim from Babusapalya, the East division cyber crime police registered an FIR charging the unknown accused under sections 318 (cheating) and 308 (extortion) of the BNS.
The victim, in his complaint, said that he received a phone call on July 5 from a person claiming to be from Colaba police station in Mumbai. The caller reportedly told the victim that the phone number registered under the latter’s name was being used to send harassing messages and for money laundering. The caller also informed him that he will be put under round-the-clock surveillance, the victim said.
According to the FIR, the victim was forced to share his bank account details on the pretext of investigation and court hearing. After the victim followed the instructions, the accused asked him to transfer his money to a verification account to ensure that the money he had was not laundered.
The victim reportedly transferred a total of ₹34.69 lakh between July 5 and July 24, which he arranged by taking a personal loan and pawning gold valuables in his possession.
The incident came to light when the accused switched off their phone and stopped all communication after receiving the money from the victim.
Published – August 10, 2025 09:47 pm IST
