A senior citizen in Ahmedabad was rescued from a suspected digital arrest scam after a colleague alerted authorities upon noticing unusual behaviour. The victim was allegedly being threatened by fraudsters posing as senior officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The incident came to light on Saturday when Vishal Darji, a manager at a shipping agency in Ahmedabad’s Thaltej area, observed that a senior executive had abruptly left work under distressing circumstances. When contacted, the elderly man reportedly revealed that he was under constant surveillance through a video call and had been told he was being investigated by the “CBI”.
Suspecting a cyber fraud attempt, Darji immediately contacted the national cybercrime helpline (1930). Acting swiftly, a joint team from the Ahmedabad City Police and Cyber Crime Branch reached the victim’s residence in Navrangpura.
Officials found the senior citizen visibly frightened and engaged in a video call with an individual claiming to be the CBI director. Police intervened, confronted the scammer, and informed the victim that so-called “digital arrests” have no legal basis in India.
According to preliminary findings, the scam began with a WhatsApp call from an unknown number. The caller falsely claimed that the victim’s Aadhaar details and mobile number were linked to money laundering and a major financial fraud. To make the allegations appear credible, the fraudsters allegedly sent forged CBI notices, fake Supreme Court orders, and fabricated confidentiality documents.
The victim was instructed to remain at home and stay connected on a video call throughout the day. Authorities later traced the WhatsApp accounts used in the fraud attempt to Cambodia and initiated action to block them through Meta’s law enforcement channels.
Cybercrime officials have once again urged citizens to remain vigilant, stressing that no government agency, police department, or investigative body conducts arrests through video calls or demands secrecy during investigations.
