Mangaluru: A man was allegedly cheated of ₹41.85 lakh by a fraudster posing as a Mumbai CCB police officer in a ‘digital arrest’ scam.

According to the complaint, the victim received a phone call on January 31 from an unknown individual who claimed to be a CCB police officer from Mumbai. The caller alleged that the complainant’s identity card had been misused to open a bank account at Canara Bank in Mumbai, where large-scale illegal transactions had taken place.

The fraudster further claimed that a Supreme Court arrest warrant had been issued and threatened immediate arrest. The victim was instructed to stay on a WhatsApp video call and was warned not to inform anyone, including his wife and son.

The accused collected the victim’s personal and bank details and told him that his accounts needed verification to avoid arrest. Under the pretext of scrutiny, the victim was instructed to transfer funds until the verification process was complete.

Between February 9 and 18, the complainant transferred ₹41.85 lakh through RTGS and NEFT to accounts provided by the fraudster. He later realized he had been cheated and filed a complaint at the Mangaluru CEN Police Station. A case has been registered.