An 86-year-old woman in Mumbai fell victim to a cyber fraud and digital arrest scam, losing over ₹20 crore after receiving a call about the misuse of her Aadhaar card.

According to an Indian Express report, the scammers, posing as police officers, convinced the victim that her Aadhaar card had been used in illegal activities. They pressured her to transfer money to various bank accounts to resolve the issue.

The fraud began between December 26 of last year and March 3, during which the scammers managed to deceive the woman out of ₹20.25 crore. In the initial call, the fraudster, pretending to be a police official, told the woman that her Aadhaar card and personal details had been used to open a bank account in India. This account, they claimed, was being used for illegal transactions, including money laundering.

After creating a sense of urgency, the scammers escalated their tactics by threatening legal action. They told the victim that her name, along with her family’s, including her daughter’s, would be involved in the case unless she transferred money into several bank accounts to avoid trouble.

To further control the situation, the scammers instructed the woman to remain under ‘digital arrest,’ preventing her from alerting anyone about the scam.

Once the victim realized she had been defrauded, she reported the incident to the police, who promptly launched an investigation. The authorities have tracked the money transfers and detained the scammers. The investigation is still ongoing.