Kochi: In yet another big cyber fraud case, a 59-year-old woman in Kochi's Mattancherry was swindled out of ₹2.88 crore over two months. The woman was unaware she had been scammed through a ‘virtual arrest’ fraud until she went to the Mattancherry police on Friday, as directed by the scammers to get what they called a ‘police clearance certificate’. Later, she filed a complaint, based on which the police registered a case.

According to the police, the ordeal began in July when the woman received a call from someone posing as an officer from the Tilak Nagar police station in Mumbai. The caller, identifying himself as Santosh Rao, accused her of being involved in a money laundering case related to a leading airline company in India. He falsely claimed that authorities had found ₹2 crore in a suspicious account, with a ₹25 lakh commission linked to her name.

To add to the intimidation, the scammers then placed the victim under ‘virtual arrest’, a bogus term used to trick individuals into believing they are under a virtual form of police detention. She was then subjected to a sham virtual court proceeding, complete with a fake judge and witness. During this fraudulent ‘trial’, the scammers manipulated her into transferring large sums of money in multiple instalments as a condition for her release. The victim even pledged her gold and gave the fraudsters an additional ₹62 lakh, bringing the total loss to a staggering ₹2.88 crore.

“The full extent of the fraud came to light when the woman approached the Mattancherry police station seeking a ‘clearance certificate’ to confirm that the supposed charges against her had been dropped. The scammers had told her not to discuss the matter with anyone, including bank staff, and to lie about the purpose of her large transactions, claiming they were for hospital expenses,” said police sources.

The officers at the station had to explain that she was the victim of a sophisticated scam. A formal complaint has since been filed, and the case has been reported to the cyber helpline as a police investigation gets underway. “We are looking into the complaint and collecting details. We will seek the cyber police's help,” said a police officer.