Mumbai's cybercrime branch has successfully recovered INR 114.36 crore lost to fraud over the past nine months. The authority worked with banks and payment gateways to block or freeze amounts in various accounts. It later released the funds to the victims after legal procedures.
In another achievement, the Mumbai police retrieved INR 1.1 crore in 24 hours through the weekend from six different cases. Most of these cases involved victims of "digital arrest" scams. These scams are common and involve criminals pretending to be law enforcement officers. They fake legal problems and ask the victim to transfer money to avoid arrest.
Of the total amount recovered, INR 65 lakh came from a case where a 50-year-old businessman from Bandra was tricked by scammers. They convinced him he was under investigation for money laundering.
It started when the businessman received a phone call on October 3 from someone pretending to be a police officer. He was accused of earning money through illegal means and was pressured to call another phone number.
When he complied, he was instructed to stay in a private room during a video call with the scammer, who posed as an official interrogator. During this call, the scammer threatened the victim and extracted personal information.
The scammer told the businessman that an arrest warrant had been issued for him. To avoid arrest, he was forced to transfer money into some bank accounts provided by the fraudster. The victim followed these instructions and transferred over INR 1 crore.
After being informed of the scam, the police quickly responded. The victim reached out to the police helpline, 1930. The police traced the scammer's accounts and managed to block INR 65 lakh before the funds could disappear.
The 1930 helplines are available 24/7. Between January and September, the helpline received 46,002 complaints. Police teams work in three shifts to monitor these cases.
Share
Tweet
