Retired pathologist duped of Rs 46 lakh in digital arrest scam by fraudsters posing as CBI officials

Nitasha Natu & Mateen Hafeez / Mumbai Mirror / Apr 13, 2025, 11:59 IST

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In a shocking incident, a retired pathologist and her sister were swindled out of Rs 46 lakh in a digital arrest scam. Posing as CBI officers, fraudsters accused the senior citizen of money laundering via WhatsApp calls. They coerced her into transferring funds to a fake 'CBI bank account' under the guise of verification.

Retired pathologist duped of Rs 46 lakh in digital arrest scam by fraudsters posing as CBI officials

A retired pathologist was duped by fraudsters in a digital arrest scam that ran for two months. The scammers got her to pay up Rs 46 lakh collectively from her bank account and that of her sister. The West Cyber Police registered an FIR on March 19 and are probing further.
The complainant and her sister, both senior citizens, live together. On Dec 20, 2024, the complainant received a video call over WhatsApp at 10.15am. The caller introduced himself as 'CBI officer' Ajay Kumar. He accused her of using her bank account for money laundering. Further, he claimed that 248 others had similarly used their bank accounts for money laundering purposes and the racket ran into Rs 60 crore.
Subsequently, another 'CBI officer' Parveen Sood contacted her over WhatsApp and indicated that she was in serious trouble. The complainant tried to explain that she was not involved in any criminal activity, but in vain.
On Dec 21, Sood said a joint inquiry by CBI and ED had been initiated against her. He contacted her over WhatsApp and warned her to cooperate with the enforcement agencies. He asked her for personal financial details such as how many bank accounts she operates and where. She was told that she would be required to transfer her money to a 'CBI bank account' for verification.

On Dec 30, she transferred Rs 15 lakh to the scammers on being threatened that an arrest warrant had been issued in her name.
About six days later, she paid an equal amount. The scammers then began to make inquiries about her family members. They found out that she had a sister who was also old.
They asked her to transfer money from her sister's bank account to the 'CBI' as well for verification. Collectively, the two senior citizens paid Rs 46 lakh. They asked for a refund but were directed to wait till the "investigation" was complete.
Eventually, the complainant confided in her niece who told her that she had been scammed. She then approached the police.

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