Perumbavoor woman loses Rs 1.72 crore in digital arrest fraud

KOCHI: A 56-year-old woman from Perumbavoor allegedly lost Rs 1.72 crore after an unidentified person impersonating an Indian Consulate official placed her under a “digital arrest” and induced her to transfer the money to a cryptocurrency wallet, according to the FIR.

The Ernakulam Rural Cyber Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the fraud.

According to the FIR, the accused allegedly claimed that a transaction worth Rs 9 crore had been made through her son’s account and told her that, to avoid arrest, the money in their possession had to be checked and returned after being verified as legitimate funds.