Mumbai woman, 86, scammed of Rs 20 crore

An 86-year-old woman in Mumbai has been a victim of a cyber fraud scheme that lasted for two months. Fraudsters extorted Rs 20 crore from her by threatening her with arrest for money laundering. To make their scam look real, they made her attend fake online court proceedings. The woman first received a call from someone claiming to be from the CBI. He said a bank account in her name was being used for money laundering. He even mentioned well-known businessman Naresh Goyal to make the threat sound more serious. A family member noticed changes in her behavior and alerted her daughter. The caller, who identified himself as Sandip Rao, claimed that a special investigation team was handling her case. He threatened that her children would be arrested if she did not cooperate. He said there were warrants against her but assured her that she could avoid going to the police under the "Digital India Movement" and that the investigation would take place online. Under pressure, the woman was asked to share her bank details to "verify" her funds. The fraudsters kept her in what they called "digital police custody," preventing her from speaking to anyone. They contacted her daily, sending fake court documents and urging her to transfer money for a supposed clearance. The police were notified and registered a complaint on March 4. This led to the arrest of two young men, Shayan Shaikh and Raziq Butt, both 20 years old. They were accused of handling the money and converting it into cryptocurrency. The police are continuing their investigation to identify others involved in the scam.