12 Kolkata: A 63-year-old woman from Salt Lake fell victim to digital-arrest fraud in which she received WhatsApp video extortion calls in the name of Mumbai Police and the ED, losing Rs 8.8 lakh. She then continued to suffer from identity theft and psychological manipulation, where the scammers contacted her relatives on WhatsApp video calls, recorded their faces and forwarded them on WhatsApp groups."The victim's contacts received unexpected video calls through WhatsApp. The scammers recorded their faces during these calls and subsequently circulated the images in various WhatsApp groups, creating panic among her social circle," said a senior officer quoting the complaint.According to the FIR, the perpetrators first contacted the victim on May 28, posing as CBI and ED officials from Mumbai. They claimed that an arrest warrant was issued against her for alleged money-laundering activities. "I received repeated calls and a WhatsApp video call from someone posing as a crime branch officer from Mumbai. During the call, he asked if my Aadhaar card was lost and whether copies were submitted in Mumbai. A person in a police uniform with an official-looking background appeared and demanded I isolate myself, citing sensitive charges. I was coerced to remain on the call and misled into believing that there were multiple criminal cases filed against me, including a shoot-at-sight order on my family, causing me extreme distress and fear," said the victim.Banerjee was coerced into transferring money thrice — Rs 2.2 lakh to a private bank in Varanasi, Rs 3.5 lakh to an account in Bangalore, and Rs 3.1 lakh to an account in Pune.The situation escalated on June 3 when the criminals hacked the victim's WhatsApp account and began targeting her contacts. "This is a new modus operandi where scammers combine financial fraud with social engineering and identity theft," explained an officer. The fraud came to light when a family friend visited the victim and found her still on call with the fraudsters. The criminals immediately disconnected upon hearing his voice.