Bengaluru police have arrested five people for allegedly cheating an elderly woman of Rs 24 crore through a prolonged “digital arrest” scam that lasted about five months.
According to police, the victim, identified as Lakshmi Ramamoorthy, had recently received a large sum after selling a piece of land. The accused reportedly contacted her posing as an investigation agency, threatened her and kept her under pressure through what investigators described as a digital arrest.
From January until this month, the woman is said to have transferred money in multiple instalments to bank accounts provided by the fraudsters, without informing anyone. The situation came to light when the accused allegedly demanded more money and she went to an ICICI Bank branch to pledge around 1.3 kg of gold.
The bank manager grew suspicious during questioning and alerted the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch. Police said they later confirmed the fraud and arrested five suspects, including Gaurav Kumar and Omprakash Rajput.
Investigators have frozen Rs 60 lakh found in the suspects’ accounts and identified 22 bank accounts that were allegedly used to receive the funds. Further inquiry is under way.
