Belagavi (Karnataka), March 21 (NationPress) An elderly businessman from Belagavi has been swindled out of Rs 15 crore due to a cyber scam involving a deceptive tactic known as “digital arrest,” as reported by police on Saturday.

A formal complaint has been lodged at the Belagavi City Cyber, Economic and Narcotics (CEN) police station. In response to the investigation, authorities have taken action by freezing the bank accounts associated with the suspects, which includes one account containing Rs 90 lakh from the total amount defrauded.

Belagavi Police Commissioner Borse Bhushan Rao Gulabrao has established a specialized team aimed at locating and apprehending the perpetrators.

As per police reports, the scammers reached out to the victim via video call, falsely asserting that his bank account had been flagged in connection with a money laundering investigation. They intimidated him with threats of legal repercussions, claiming he was involved in illicit financial activities.

The fraudsters instructed the businessman to move his assets to various bank accounts for “verification,” promising that the funds would be returned post-investigation. Trusting their false representations, the victim transferred money in several stages, culminating in a loss of Rs 15 crore.

The scheme initiated on March 18, when the businessman was first approached. He began to feel apprehensive only after the fraudsters became unreachable and subsequently sought help from the police.

It is noteworthy that on March 8, a 94-year-old research scholar submitted a complaint after losing nearly Rs 5 crore to a similar digital arrest scam in Karnataka.

In another incident, a 78-year-old woman from Indiranagar in east Bengaluru lost Rs 38 lakh to cyber con artists impersonating officials from the National Investigative Agency (NIA) who placed her under “digital arrest” before coercing her into transferring funds.

According to the complaint filed at the East Division Cybercrime Police, the Indiranagar victim received a phone call on March 11 around 3 p.m. from a mobile number claiming her documents were misused in a money laundering and pornography investigation.

The Karnataka Home Department reported that the state suffered losses of Rs 11.6 crore due to digital arrest scams between January and February 2026, with Rs 25.2 lakh recovered. From January 2023 to February 2026, digital arrest frauds have extorted over Rs 468.6 crore from victims.

In 2023, there were 196 digital arrest cases recorded, resulting in losses of Rs 22.5 crore, with Rs 2.3 crore recovered. In 2024, the number soared to 1,129 cases, leading to losses of Rs 219.4 crore with Rs 27.8 crore recovered. In 2025, 345 cases were reported, with authorities managing to recover only Rs 10.7 crore.

Home Minister G. Parameshwara mentioned that the government has mandated expedited investigations into cybercrimes. He also noted that there are 45 CEN stations across the state, emphasizing that Karnataka is home to the first cybercrime police station established in 2010.