A 57-year-old woman in Bengaluru was allegedly duped of more than Rs 2.05 crore after cybercriminals posed as law enforcement officials and placed her under so-called “digital arrest”, police said on Tuesday.

Police explained that a digital arrest scam involves scammers posing as police officers or other officials and threatening victims over the phone or video calls, coercing them into transferring money online. The alleged fraud took place over several months, between June 19 and November 27.

According to the complaint, the woman received a call on June 19, 2025, from an unknown number. The caller claimed to be from courier company Blue Dart and alleged that a package linked to his Aadhaar card contained drugs. She was warned that the Mumbai police would arrest her.

Soon after, the caller told her to install an app and began contacting her through frequent video calls. For almost a week, the accused continuously monitored her through video calls and WhatsApp, the FIR said.

During these calls, the accused appeared in police uniform and claimed to be officers of the rank of Inspector and Deputy Commissioner of Police. Police said they used multiple cell phone numbers to contact her and repeatedly asked her for money.

The woman was allegedly threatened that her son’s life would be in danger if she did not comply. Fearing arrest and harm to his family, he sold two plots in Malur at a low price, sold his flat in Vignan Nagar and also took a loan from a private bank to raise the money.

The FIR stated that from June 20, he transferred a total of Rs 2,05,16,652 to the accused.

The scam came to light when the accused later asked him to visit a police station to get a “no objection certificate” and assured him that she would refund the entire amount. It was only then that he realized he had been tricked.

Based on her complaint, the CEN Whitefield crime police registered a case on November 27 under Sections 319(2) (cheating by person) and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. Further investigations are underway.

Karnataka has reported losses of Rs 5,473.97 crore in 57,733 cybercrime cases over the past three years, though only 11.5 percent of the amount has been recovered. On an average, the state lost Rs 6.05 crore every day due to cybercrime, while daily recoveries stood at just Rs 60 lakh.

The data shows that by 2023, victims had a one in five chance of recovering some of their lost money. By 2025, it has dropped dramatically to just one in 16.

(With PTI tickets)