Wed Jul 23 18:56:02 UTC 2025: Here’s a news article summarizing the provided text:

**Bangalore Senior Citizen Swindled Out of ₹83.2 Lakh in Elaborate Cyber Fraud**

**Bengaluru, July 24, 2025** – A 78-year-old man in Bengaluru fell victim to a sophisticated cyber fraud, losing ₹83.2 lakh to a gang posing as Mumbai Crime Branch officials. The elaborate scam involved a “digital arrest” that lasted for two months, during which the victim was coerced into transferring his life savings to the fraudsters.

According to a police complaint filed on Monday, the ordeal began on May 21st when the victim received a call from an individual claiming to be “Jyothi Vishwanath” from the Mumbai cyber crime branch. The caller alleged that the victim was implicated in a bank fraud due to his SBI account details being found in connection with the crime. He was further falsely accused of having a SIM card purchased in his name used in the fraud.

The con artists, posing as law enforcement and even a public prosecutor, threatened the victim and his son with arrest if he didn’t cooperate. They manipulated him into providing bank account access and transferring funds under the false promise that the money would be returned after the case was closed and he received clearance from authorities. The victim, kept under constant surveillance via WhatsApp video calls, was instructed to remain silent about the situation.

After waiting two months with no sign of his money being returned, the victim finally confided in his son during a visit to his native Belagavi. His son immediately urged him to report the incident to the cyber crime helpline and file a formal complaint.

East division cyber crime police are now investigating the case, tracking call records and online transactions to identify the perpetrators.

Authorities are cautioning the public about the increasing prevalence of such scams and emphasizing that “digital arrests” are not a legitimate practice. They urge citizens to be wary of unsolicited calls demanding money under the threat of arrest.

This incident follows a similar case in Koramangala, where a 74-year-old woman was defrauded of ₹77.8 lakh after being threatened with digital arrest in June. These cases highlight the vulnerability of senior citizens to increasingly sophisticated cybercrime tactics.

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