Digital arrest strikes again! Man loses Rs 30.65 lakh in Karnataka

Mangaluru: A case of online fraud has been registered at the Barke police station, where an individual lost Rs 30.65 lakh under the guise of misusing his mobile phone number for online frauds.

The complainant said that on October 19, he received a call from an unknown number. The caller, speaking in English, claimed to be from the Mumbai Sahar Police Station and informed him that a complaint had been registered against him regarding online fraud conducted using a mobile registered in his name. Later that day, another person made a video call from a different mobile number. The individual, dressed in a police uniform, introduced himself as Mohan Kumar.

The victim further stated that the caller had informed him that someone had opened an account in his name at an SBI branch in Mumbai and committed fraud amounting to approximately Rs 3.9 crore through human trafficking. Upon arrest, the person claimed to have given the victim Rs 38 lakh as commission from the fraudulent money.

When the victim denied allegations, the caller claimed that all his bank accounts have been frozen, and an arrest warrant has been issued against him. Believing the caller, the complainant transferred Rs 2.65 lakh on October 21, Rs 14 lakh on October 22, and Rs 14 lakh as directed by the callers. After having realised that he has been duped, he filed a complaint to cyber crime helpline 1930.

Lost money for KYC update

In a separate case, an unknown person fraudulently withdrew Rs 51,908 from Shekar’s account under the pretence of updating his KYC information. In his complaint, Shekar (77) reported receiving an SMS on November 7 prompting him to update his KYC. Following the instructions, he called the number provided in the SMS. The person who answered claimed to be from Canara Bank and informed Shekar that his account had been blocked due to incomplete KYC updates. The caller then requested details, including his account number, the last four digits of his ATM card, and an OTP. Believing it to be legitimate, Shekar shared the requested information.

Fifteen minutes later, Shekar received a call from Canara Bank, where a staff member informed him that Rs 51,908 had been deducted from his account and advised him to dial 1930 for assistance. When Shekar visited the bank, he was officially informed that the funds had been withdrawn fraudulently.

A case has now been registered at the Hebri police station under sections 318(4), 319(2), and BNS 66(C), 66(D) of the IT Act.