An 81-year-old man in Hyderabad was defrauded of Rs 7.12 crore in a "digital arrest" scam, police said. Fraudsters posing as Mumbai Police officers threatened him with alleged involvement in a drug trafficking and money laundering racket.

The victim received a call on October 27 from someone claiming to be from a courier company, who said a parcel in his name sent from Mumbai to Thailand contained MDMA, passports, and debit and credit cards. He was told the parcel was intercepted and the case forwarded to Mumbai police.

Subsequently, another caller, impersonating a Mumbai police officer, claimed the man was linked to a large drug and terror racket. They demanded bank account and investment details for “verification” and instructed him to transfer funds to certain accounts to prove his innocence, warning him not to inform anyone.

Over two months, the victim transferred Rs 7.12 crore. The fraudsters then asked for an additional Rs 1.2 crore, at which point he realized he had been duped and approached the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) on December 30. Police have registered a case. The victim, a former businessman, fell prey to the increasingly common “digital arrest” scams, where impersonators threaten victims via calls or video links to extort large sums.