An 86-year-old woman from Mumbai fell victim to a cyber fraud and digital arrest scam, losing over ₹20 crore. The scammers called her, claiming that her Aadhaar card had been misused in illegal activities. They tricked her into believing she was in trouble and convinced her to transfer the money to avoid legal action.

According to a report by Indian Express, the fraudsters called the 86-year-old woman, pretending to be police officials. They convinced her that her Aadhaar card was being misused for illegal activities and pressured her into transferring money to several different bank accounts to resolve the matter and avoid legal trouble.

The report says that between December 26 of last year and March 3, the scammers managed to steal ₹20.25 crore from the victim. The scam began with an initial call in which the fraudster, posing as a police officer, informed the woman that her Aadhaar card and personal details had been used to open a new bank account in India.

The caller claimed that the account was being used for illegal activities, such as money laundering, and convinced her to transfer large sums of money to several bank accounts to clear her name and avoid legal consequences.
Once the scammers had set the stage, they moved on to the next part of their plan: the threat. 

The caller told the woman that legal action would be taken against her and that the case would involve not only her but also her family members, including her daughter. To avoid legal trouble, she was pressured into transferring large sums of money into multiple bank accounts, believing it was the only way to resolve the situation.

During the entire scam, the fraudsters told the woman to stay under "digital arrest," which meant she couldn’t share any information about the situation with anyone.

Once the woman realized she had been scammed, she reported the incident to the police. Authorities quickly launched an investigation and managed to trace the money transfers. The police have detained the scammers, and the investigation is still ongoing.

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