Mumbai woman forced to strip, duped of ₹1.78 Lakh, in ‘digital arrest’ scam

Mumbai woman coerced into stripping during scam involving fake money laundering case, leading to financial and sexual exploitation.

A 26-year-old woman from Mumbai was allegedly coerced into stripping during a video call after falling victim to a scam involving cybercriminals posing as Delhi police. The fraudsters also duped her of ₹1.78 lakh under the pretext of a “digital arrest” linked to a fake money laundering case.

According to information accessed by The Hindu, the victim, a resident of Borivali and an employee at a pharmaceutical company, was targeted on November 19 and 20. The perpetrators, using multiple phone numbers, contacted her while she was at work in Andheri. They falsely implicated her in a money laundering case involving Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, who is currently in jail.

Also read | ‘Digital arrests’: Now you see me, now you don’t

Claiming the matter was confidential, the fraudsters threatened her with a “digital arrest” and persuaded her to book a hotel room for “privacy” and further “interrogation” over a video call.

Once she checked into the hotel, the scammers demanded that she transfer money to “verify” her bank account details. The woman complied and transferred ₹1.78 lakh. Later, under the guise of “body verification,” they coerced her into stripping on a video call.

Realising she had been both financially and sexually exploited, the woman filed a complaint at the Dahisar police station on November 28. A case was registered under Sections 319(2), 318(4),204,74,78,79,351(2),3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 66(D), 67(A) of the Information Technology Act. The investigation has since been transferred to the Andheri police.

A similar scam earlier targeted Shri Paul Oswal, chairman of the Vardhman Group, who was duped of ₹7 crore by fraudsters also invoking Naresh Goyal’s name and threatening him with a “digital arrest.”