A retired civil contractor from Ballari has reportedly lost ₹88 lakh in a digital arrest scam. On July 5, the victim began receiving multiple calls and video calls from various numbers. The callers, posing as officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), claimed that his ATM card had been found at the residence of Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, allegedly involved in a ₹200 crore fraud.
According to CEN Police Inspector Ramakanth YH, the fraudsters alleged that ₹2 crore had been transferred to the contractor from Goyal’s account, and he had received a ₹25 lakh commission. They accused him of selling his personal information and even sent a fake arrest warrant via WhatsApp.
On July 7, the scammers contacted him again, claiming he would be presented before a CBI judge in Mumbai and instructed him to transfer money to specified bank accounts until the trial concluded. Between July 5 and 19, they siphoned off ₹88,20,098 from his accounts.
The victim filed a police complaint on July 24. The CEN police have launched an investigation.