The fraudster demanded 10% of an alleged Rs 2.5-crore illicit fund purportedly to clear their names. (AI image).A 67-year-old retired doctor in Karnataka lost Rs 1.79 crore to a “digital arrest” scam after fraudsters posing as officials from a courier company and central investigative agencies accused him of links to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), the police said.“The accused posed as Enforcement Directorate (ED) and National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials and swindled the money. We are trying to freeze the bank accounts and examine call records and other details,” a police officer said.According to the doctor, a resident of Kalaburagi, his wife received a call on July 14 claiming to be from a courier company. The caller alleged that an illegal package in her name was being sent to Mumbai.The call was transferred to a man identifying himself as Aman Kumar Sharma, who claimed to be a senior officer with the “Cyber Crime Control Board of India” in Mumbai. He told the couple that their Aadhaar card had allegedly been used to open a bank account involved in money laundering and terror financing linked to the PFI. He demanded 10 per cent of an alleged Rs 2.5-crore illicit fund—around Rs 20 lakh—purportedly to clear their names.The intimidation allegedly continued over WhatsApp video calls, where the caller claimed to be sub-inspector Vishwas Rao. He also warned the couple not to disclose the matter to anyone, citing “national security”.Also Read | Accused of sending obscene messages, Karnataka government employee loses Rs 83 lakh in ‘digital arrest’ fraudThe accused allegedly collected sensitive personal and financial details—including information on the doctor’s and his wife’s bank accounts, fixed deposits, savings, LIC policies, gold holdings, and property—under the guise of an investigation.According to the doctor’s complaint, filed on August 28, he and his wife were directed to transfer funds from various accounts. He closed his fixed deposits, withdrew the LIC money and later took a personal loan of Rs 50 lakh against his house. He claimed to have transferred a total of Rs 1.79 crore to the fraudsters.Story continues below this adAccording to the doctor, he realised he had been defrauded only when his son, a software engineer in Bengaluru, visited Kalaburagi on August 21 and told him about such scams.The Kalaburagi CEN police have registered a case of identity theft and cheating and are investigating.