Duped of millions in 'digital arrest', Indian woman seeks answers from banks

Anjali asks why such huge sums leaving her account didn’t trigger red flags and automatic alerts.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of The Earth EarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveDuped of millions in 'digital arrest', Indian woman seeks answers from banks14 hours agoShareSaveNikhil Inamdar & Geeta PandeyBBC News, Mumbai & DelhiShareSaveAnahita Sachdev/BBCIt has been a year since Anjali was "digitally arrested" and lost 58.5m rupees Anjali's* nightmare began with a phone call that would cost her 58.5m rupees ($663,390).

The caller claimed to be from a courier company, alleging that Mumbai customs had seized a drug parcel she was sending to Beijing.

Anjali, a resident of Gurugram, a suburb of Indian capital Delhi, fell prey to a "digital arrest" scam - fraudsters posing as law enforcement officials on video calls and threatening her with life in prison and harm to her son unless she obeyed.

Over five harrowing days last September, they kept her under 24/7 surveillance on Skype, terrified her with threats, and coerced her into liquidating her savings and transferring the money.

"After that, my brain stopped working. My mind shut down," she says.