In a disturbing case of cyber fraud, scammers allegedly attempted to digitally “arrest” a woman by impersonating officials from Bengaluru City Police and using forged documents bearing the name and seal of the city’s police commissioner.
According to police sources, the cybercriminals contacted the woman through a private telecalling number. During the call, they falsely claimed that her mother was involved in illegal activities and that an investigation was underway.
The fraudsters later converted the call into a video call and continued the conversation with the woman’s daughter. They insisted that the woman must cooperate with the investigation and demanded that she share her home location so officials could visit her residence.
To make their claims appear legitimate, the scammers sent fabricated documents claiming there was an order from the Supreme Court of India and the Bengaluru City Police directing action in the case. The documents allegedly carried a forged seal and signature of B Dayananda (as per standard office use) to intimidate the victim.
The cybercriminals also circulated a fake notice supposedly issued by the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department, claiming that several suspects had already been arrested in connection with the case. In addition, they fabricated documents naming a person called Naina Prakash in an attempt to further mislead the victim.
However, the woman became suspicious after carefully examining the documents. Realizing that something was wrong, she immediately contacted the police and filed an online complaint.
She sent an email to the official address of the Bengaluru City Police and also registered a complaint on the national cybercrime portal Cyber Crime Portal (India).
Following the complaint, Bengaluru police have taken up the case and begun investigating the attempted scam. Officials have once again urged citizens to remain cautious and verify any such claims directly with law enforcement agencies, as cybercriminals are increasingly using sophisticated tactics and fake documents to target victims.
