The accused allegedly forced the government employee to create a cryptocurrency wallet and transfer Rs 38 lakh in cryptocurrency between March 18 and April 15 this year. (Image generated using AI)A 59-year-old Karnataka government employee was duped of Rs 83.22 lakh in a ‘digital arrest’ fraud after cybercriminals convinced him that obscene messages had been sent from his phone. The police termed it a ‘rare case’, saying the fraudsters forced the victim to create a cryptocurrency wallet and transfer his money in virtual currency.The incident occurred in Bagalkot district. The victim works in the water resources department and is scheduled to retire this year, the police said.According to the First Information Report (FIR), the accused contacted the victim on February 22, posing as Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) officials. The callers claimed a SIM card linked to the man’s personal details had been used to send obscene messages and that an FIR had been registered against him in Mumbai.To lend credibility to their claims, the accused sent fabricated documents, including fake government letterheads, logos, and forged official papers via WhatsApp, the police said. They subsequently contacted the victim through the Signal app and placed him under a “digital arrest”—placing the government employee under virtual surveillance.Also Read | ‘Shocking that mostly well-educated people fall for digital arrest scams’: CJI KantOver the following weeks, the accused coerced the victim into transferring money on multiple occasions. Between February 25 and April 13 this year, he transferred Rs 14.61 lakh from his SBI account to an ICICI Bank account provided by the fraudsters, as per the FIR. He was also pressured into selling gold and liquidating SIP investments, transferring a further Rs 30.61 lakh to an IDFC First Bank account, it added.Additionally, the FIR said the accused forced the government employee to create a Binance cryptocurrency wallet and transfer Rs 38 lakh in USDT cryptocurrency between March 18 and April 15 this year to a crypto wallet address provided by them.In total, the government employee lost Rs 83.22 lakh between February 22 and April 17, 2026, before approaching the police. A case has been registered under sections of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Bagalkot CEN police station.