Ahmedabad: Ahmedabad Digital Arrest Case: A major financial fraud was averted in Ahmedabad due to the timely vigilance of the Cyber Crime Branch and Bank of Baroda (Maninagar branch) staff. A senior citizen woman was threatened with ‘digital arrest’ through a WhatsApp call and coerced into breaking her fixed deposit worth ₹33,35,000 to transfer the amount into a suspicious account. The bank manager and officers immediately alerted cyber crime authorities, prompting police to rush to the bank and counsel the elderly woman. The swift action saved the woman’s lifetime savings. The cyber criminals failed in their scheme.
Elderly Woman in Extremely Frightened State
The manager and officers of Bank of Baroda’s Maninagar branch were on duty when they noticed an elderly woman in an extremely distressed condition. The woman was urgently attempting to transfer approximately ₹33,50,000 from her account into a suspicious account. Observing her condition and the fear visible on her face, bank staff immediately suspected something amiss. They promptly contacted Ahmedabad Cyber Crime.
Refused to Believe She Was Under ‘Digital Arrest’
The elderly woman was unaware of the ‘digital arrest’ scam and initially became angry with bank employees regarding the money transfer. She refused to understand any explanation and kept insisting on transferring the money. She later even got into an altercation with a female bank employee. Police calmed and counseled the woman. A video of the incident showing her argument with bank staff has gone viral.
Elderly Woman Threatened with ‘Digital Arrest’
The police team began counseling the elderly woman. During counseling, it emerged that she was being threatened via WhatsApp call. She was told that bank accounts had been opened using her Aadhaar card and money defrauded through cybercrime had been deposited in those accounts. The criminals frightened her with threats of legal action and ‘digital arrest’. Terrified by these threats, the woman came to the bank to transfer her life savings of ₹33,35,000 into separate accounts provided by the criminals.
Read More:CCTV Captures Hit-and-Run: Elderly Man Killed by Bike on Way to Temple in Ahmedabad
No System Called ‘Digital Arrest’ Exists
Through combined efforts of police and bank staff, the elderly woman was made to understand that legally, no system called ‘digital arrest’ exists. No police officer or judge ever calls via WhatsApp asking for money deposits. Due to timely understanding and alertness of the Cyber Crime Branch, the woman was rescued from the criminals’ trap and the entire amount was prevented from reaching the criminals’ account. The elderly woman thanked the bank staff and police.
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