An 84-year-old retired bank manager from Ghaziabad allegedly lost nearly ₹2.2 crore after cyber fraudsters kept him and his wife under a so-called “digital arrest” for 12 days through an elaborate impersonation scam.
According to police, Ram Prakash Huriya, a resident of Ramprastha Greens Society, received a WhatsApp call on May 22 from a man posing as a Delhi Police officer. The caller falsely claimed that Huriya’s name had surfaced in a ₹538-crore Canara Bank embezzlement case and warned that an arrest warrant had been issued against him.
Over the next 12 days, the fraudsters allegedly conducted fake video hearings, introducing individuals posing as police officers, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials and a judge. They claimed that Huriya’s bank accounts, property and other assets were under investigation and instructed him to transfer his funds to designated “government accounts” for verification, assuring him the money would be returned after the inquiry.
Fearing arrest, Huriya transferred ₹2,19,73,003 through RTGS into five bank accounts between May 22 and June 4. Police said he even borrowed nearly ₹70 lakh to comply with the demands of the fraudsters. Throughout the ordeal, the couple was allegedly instructed not to contact anyone and was made to delete WhatsApp chats and notifications while remaining under constant virtual surveillance.
After realising he had been duped, Huriya lodged a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police Station. An FIR has been registered under Section 66D of the Information Technology Act and other relevant provisions. Police are tracing the bank accounts and WhatsApp numbers used in the fraud.
