Scores of people across the country have fallen prey to fraudsters through the so-called “digital arrest scam,” losing substantial amounts of money. However, a vigilant young man from Bhopal thwarted an attempt by scammers who tried to target him. A video call with the fake police officer involved in the incident has since gone viral.

Anirudh, a graphics designer from Bhopal, received a call on Friday from someone claiming to be an officer of a private telecom company. The caller alleged that Anirudh’s phone number was being used to extort people, including celebrities, and that an FIR had been registered against him with the Mumbai Crime Branch.

Suspecting it was a scam, Anirudh decided to play along while staying alert. The caller warned him that he would soon receive a video call from the Mumbai Crime Branch, where senior officers would seek further details.

Shortly after, Anirudh received a video call on his mobile phone. On the call was a young man dressed as a police officer, who introduced himself as an officer of the Mumbai Crime Branch.

The impersonator asked Anirudh for his mobile number and the complaint number related to the alleged FIR. He then requested to see Anirudh’s Aadhaar card, claiming it was necessary to verify whether his Aadhaar details were being misused or if he was involved in any wrongdoing.

At this point, Anirudh decided to confront the scammer. He asked the man in uniform, “How do you set up something like this? It must take a lot of effort!”

Surprisingly, the fraudster replied, “It takes hard work. We are here to help you”. Suddenly, apparently realising that Anirudh wasn’t falling for it, the scammer abruptly disconnected the call.

What happened next was even more intriguing. After disconnecting the video call, the fraudster sent a message to Anirudh, asking, “Tell me, where did we go wrong?” Amused, Anirudh responded with an emoji and ended the chat.

On Saturday, Anirudh lodged a formal complaint with the Bhopal police about the incident.