Tamil Nadu: Two elderly in Coimbatore lose Rs 36 lakh in digital arrest con
In one case, an 82-year-old man from Singanallur was cheated of Rs 26 lakh last month
Representative Image (PTI)
CHENNAI: The elderly man from Chennai who lost crores in the Digital Arrest con is not an isolated case. Fraudsters seem to have now elevated their con into conducting virtual court proceedings.
Two elderly men from Coimbatore, one of them a former serviceman, were cheated of a total of Rs 36 lakh in separate incidents, by the same modus operandi of a special court judge investigating the Naresh Goyal case, on the directions of Supreme Court, according to police. Both men had filed a complaint with the cyber cell in Coimbatore.
In one case, an 82-year-old man from Singanallur was cheated of Rs 26 lakh last month. Fraudsters called him and told him that his credentials were used in the Naresh Goyal money laundering case and that there was a warrant against his name. He was further made to appear before a ‘judge’ on video call who told him that it would cost him Rs 6 lakh to avail bail.
The ‘judge’ further insisted that he stay connected on WhatsApp video call for 24 hours until his bail was processed. Even after transferring the said amount, they demanded more, after which the octogenarian took a loan on his wife’s jewels and sent them Rs 10 lakh more.
After a two-day gap, the ‘judge’ called again and told him that his bail was not approved and that it would cost him another Rs 10 lakh. Again, he borrowed the amount and sent in two instalments. The money was sent to accounts across the country, according to the police.
In another case, the 71-year-old ex-serviceman received a phone call in April, where the callers had used the same modus operandi. A man claiming to be a ‘judge’ appeared on video call. The elderly man was sent bogus arrest warrants and court orders through WhatsApp and was made to write an apology letter for the judiciary.
The judge also told him that he should not disconnect the call and also threatened that his family members too will come under the purview. After this, the senior citizen Rs 10.3 lakh for verification by ‘RBI recognised software’ (as claimed by the fraudsters).
The cyber crime cell in Coimbatore is probing both the cases.
Also Read: Chennai: Conmen take elderly couple to ‘Digital Court’, swindle Rs 2.27 crore
