60-year-old Bengaluru woman loses ₹1.16 crore to digital arrest scam

Bengaluru

A 60-year-old woman from Halasuru in Bengaluru has lost ₹1.16 crore to cyber fraudsters who allegedly impersonated officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and carried out a sophisticated “digital arrest” scam.

According to the FIR registered in East CEN police station, V Vijayalakshmi, a resident of Cambridge Layout, received a call on January 31, 2026, from an unknown number. The caller claimed to be an officer from the TRAI Telecom Office in New Delhi and alleged that her mobile number was linked to illegal advertisements and harassing messages.

She was reportedly told that multiple criminal complaints had been registered against her and that her identity had been misused for unlawful activities. The fraudsters further claimed that cases involving financial irregularities were being investigated and that her bank accounts were under scrutiny for money laundering.

To “clear” her name and avoid arrest, the callers instructed her to transfer funds for verification. Between February 6 and February 12, 2026, she transferred money in phases to multiple bank accounts, including those in the Central Bank of India and ICICI Bank. The total amount siphoned off was ₹1,16,45,000.

The fraudsters also allegedly invoked the name of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), claiming the funds were required for account validation and compliance checks.

Realising she had been duped, Vijayalakshmi approached the police and filed a complaint. A case has been registered, and investigations are underway to trace the accused and recover the funds.

Police have once again urged citizens to remain cautious of calls claiming to be from regulatory authorities and warned that no government agency conducts investigations or “digital arrests” over phone calls