Alert relative, swift police action foil cyber fraud targeting 72-year-old

New Delhi: A 72-year-old woman was saved from falling prey to a “digital arrest” scam after a relative alerted police, prompting swift action by the cyber helpline.

According to police, the incident came to light around 2.45 pm on Saturday when constable Rekha, a cyber responder posted at the 1930 Cyber Helpline, received a distress call from a man identified as Sahil. He informed police that he had been unable to establish proper contact with his elderly relative, who lives alone in Rohini’s Sector-13. He said she appeared distressed and was speaking incoherently during their conversations.

When asked if she had mentioned anything specific, Sahil told the constable that she had referred to the “CBI” during one of their brief conversations. Suspecting a possible cyber fraud, Rekha alerted inspector Parveen Kumar of the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit.

Parveen informed the SHO of Cyber Police Station Rohini and simultaneously raised an emergency alert through the 112 helpline. A police team was rushed to the woman’s residence.

During the inquiry, police found that she had received calls on her landline as well as video calls from individuals posing as law enforcement officials. The callers falsely claimed that her name had surfaced in a Rs 6-crore money laundering case and that she was under “digital arrest”.

Fearing legal action, she stayed on calls with the fraudsters and avoided speaking to others. Police intervened in time, counselled her and explained the fraud before any money could be transferred.

Police said timely intervention by the relative, along with prompt coordination between the 1930 helpline and local cyber police, helped avert a major financial fraud.