Mumbai: Retired BMC Official Loses ₹16.5 Lakh in ‘Digital Arrest’ Cyber Scam Posing as ATS, NIA

A 75-year-old retired official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was allegedly cheated of ₹16.50 lakh by cyber fraudsters who impersonated officers from the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Mumbai Police said on Wednesday.

The case came to light on Monday after the victim, a resident of Andheri East, approached the West Region Cyber Police Station to report the fraud.

According to police officials, the elderly man received a phone call on December 11 from unknown persons claiming to be officers from the Delhi Anti-Terrorism Department. The caller allegedly intimidated him by saying his name had surfaced in a Delhi bomb blast investigation and that he was required to undergo confidential questioning.

The fraudsters then asked the victim to download the Signal messaging application, where he received a video call. During the call, one of the accused allegedly posed as an NIA officer and warned the victim that a bank account linked to his mobile number had received ₹7 crore through suspected money laundering.

Citing national security concerns, the caller instructed the victim not to discuss the matter with anyone. The fraudsters further claimed that to verify whether his savings and investments were legitimate, he needed to transfer his funds to specified bank accounts for “verification”.

Believing the claims to be genuine, the victim transferred a total of ₹16.50 lakh. Soon after the money was deposited, the callers stopped responding and blocked his number.

Realising he had been duped, the victim approached cyber police and filed a complaint. A case has been registered against unidentified persons, and an investigation is currently underway, police said.