Kolkata: A 66-year-old woman from Rajarhat was reportedly cheated of Rs 5 lakh in a digital arrest scam after fraudsters, posing as senior officials from multiple central agencies, threatened to arrest her and freeze her accounts over alleged illegal transactions.
The Vedic Village resident lodged a complaint, stating she received multiple calls on Thursday from people who claimed to be RBI and CBI officials. They told her that her Aadhaar, PAN and bank accounts were involved in illegal financial transactions worth Rs 20 lakh and warned of legal action unless she cooperated.
The woman claimed she was made to believe she had to "clear" her bank account to prove her innocence. Acting on the fraudsters' instructions, she transferred Rs 5 lakh on Jan 30 to an account provided by them. The money was credited to an account held in the name of Asish Kumar Nayak.
The victim claimed she was coerced into sharing sensitive financial documents, including details of two insurance policies of Rs 90 lakh. She fears the documents could be misused for impersonation, loan fraud or policy-related crimes. "We are tracing the accused, freezing the beneficiary account and examining the money trail," said an officer.