A 68-year-old Bengaluru businessman reported being pressured over several days by callers impersonating TRAI and CBI officials and forced to transfer Rs 37 lakh. Police have registered a case and are trying to freeze beneficiary accounts while investigating an organised syndicate using long-running virtual-arrest tactics.

Police in Bengaluru are investigating a sophisticated 'digital arrest' social-engineering scheme after a 68-year-old businessman said he was coerced into sending Rs 37 lakh via RTGS and other transfers. According to the complaint, callers posed as officials from telecom and enforcement agencies, issued threats of immediate digital arrest, and instructed the victim to move funds to accounts controlled by the fraudsters. Investigators have opened a formal case and are attempting to trace and freeze the beneficiary accounts to recover funds. Authorities say the pattern matches an organised syndicate that leverages months-long pressure campaigns and may exploit bank insiders or mule networks to launder the proceeds. The incident underscores how impersonation and the specter of legal enforcement can be weaponised to create urgency and fear. Police have urged potential victims to verify official communications through independent channels and report suspicious calls promptly as they work with banks to map transaction chains and identify the network behind the extortion.