BJP MP’s Wife Falls Victim to “Digital Arrest” Scam, Loses ₹14 Lakh; Police Recover Full Amount
Bengaluru: In a swift operation, Bengaluru police managed to recover ₹14 lakh that had been fraudulently taken from Preethi, wife of BJP MP from Chikkaballapura, K. Sudhakar. She had fallen victim to a cybercrime tactic known as a “digital arrest” on August 26.
A “digital arrest” is a growing cyber fraud method where scammers impersonate law enforcement or enforcement agency officials, usually via WhatsApp video calls, and intimidate victims by falsely claiming they are accused in criminal cases.
According to police, 44-year-old Preethi, a resident of Basaveshwaranagar, received a WhatsApp call from a fraudster posing as an officer of the Mumbai Cyber Crime Police. The scammer told her that her bank account was linked to illegal money transfers and that the funds had to be “verified” by the RBI. She was threatened that if she did not transfer the money to the account provided, she would be arrested.
Terrified, she transferred a total of ₹14 lakh from her HDFC Bank account to an unknown Yes Bank account. Realizing later that she had been duped, Preethi lodged a complaint the same evening. She also promptly contacted the National Cyber Helpline (1930), which enabled the police to quickly intervene.
Authorities said that the transactions were frozen before the fraudsters could withdraw the funds. On September 3, the 47th ACJM Court directed Yes Bank to release the frozen amount back into the complainant’s account. In compliance with the court order, the entire ₹14 lakh was restored.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Girish S., said efforts are underway to trace the culprits. He urged the public not to panic in such cases and to immediately report incidents via the national cyber helpline within the “golden hour” for the best chance of recovering lost funds.
Speaking to reporters in Chikkaballapura, BJP MP K. Sudhakar expressed concern over the alarming rise in such digital scams. “Even my wife was targeted. The money was recovered, but that is not the main issue. Society must take this very seriously. If scammers can target Sudha Murty, wife of Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, it shows the scale of the problem,” he said.
The former minister also highlighted the need to strengthen cybercrime departments and leverage technology to nab fraudsters. “Innocent people are losing their hard-earned money very quickly. Even well-educated individuals have fallen prey. Cyber fraud has become a major challenge today,” Sudhakar added.
