Mumbai, April 12 -- A 69-year-old chief priest of a temple in Malad has been cheated of nearly Rs.50 lakh in a digital arrest scam, with cyber fraudsters posing as law enforcement officials and falsely linking him to the Pahalgam terror attack. According to the police, the case came to light after a 75-year-old disciple lodged a complaint with the Cyber Police. The priest was scheduled to travel to Vrindavan for a religious programme, including bhajans and kirtans, between April 3 and 7. "On April 1, he reportedly received a WhatsApp video call from a woman claiming to be a police officer investigating the terror attack. She told him that bank accounts in his name had been used to fund the incident and placed him under so-called digital arrest," said a police officer. She allegedly told him that the Reserve Bank of India flagged his transactions with the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack and that he has been funding terrorism. "The caller warned him not to inform anyone and claimed he could be immediately arrested if he did," the officer said. The priest was reportedly kept under digital arrest on April 1 and April 2 with the accused monitoring him constantly on a WhatsApp video call. They asked him to transfer Rs.50 lakh to various bank accounts.The fraudsters also prevented him from travelling to Vrindavan for the scheduled programme, adding to his distress. One of his disciples sensed something was wrong and questioned the priest, after which he was told that the police do not digital arrest anyone or demand to transfer money during investigations. Subsequently, the disciple approached the police after the priest left for Vridanvan. Based on his complaint, the registered a case against the unidentified accused under sections 318 (cheating), 319 (cheating by personation), 308 (extortion), 336 (forgery), 338 (forgery of valuables security) and 340 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record, knowing it to be forged) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023....