Retd Army officer loses ₹12 lakh to digital arrest scam

Pune: A retired Army officer (85) was cheated of Rs 12 lakh by fraudsters who posed as Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers.The incident happened between Sept 1 and 5, and a case was registered with Chikhali police on Wednesday. According to the complaint, on Sept 1, the complainant answered a video call from an unknown number. The caller introduced himself as an ED officer.“He claimed that harassment calls had been made from a cellphone number registered in the complainant’s name. The caller also claimed that suspicious transactions were made from the elderly man’s bank account and accused him of laundering money,” inspector Amol Phadtare told TOI.“The caller threatened to arrest the complainant and forced him to share his bank account details. He then told the complainant to transfer money for ‘verification’, which he said would be refunded,” Phadtare said.When his Rs 12 lakh was not returned, the retired officer contacted the suspect, who demanded more money. Now suspicious, the man lodged a complaint with the police.