A retired professional from Gujarat’s Vadodara was allegedly held under a virtual “digital arrest” for 18 days and duped of Rs 1.47 crore by cyber fraudsters posing as senior government officials.
The scam began on March 10 when the elderly man received a call from an individual claiming to be an officer of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The caller alleged that an illegal mobile number linked to the victim’s Aadhaar card was being used for unlawful activities.
Moments later, the retiree was connected to another person claiming to be from the Mumbai Crime Branch. The fraud escalated when a man posing as a CBI officer contacted him through a WhatsApp video call and accused him of being involved in a Rs 538-crore money laundering racket.
The fake officer allegedly threatened the victim with arrest, imprisonment, property seizures and public humiliation. To make the allegations appear genuine, the cybercriminals sent forged FIRs, fabricated CBI notices and fake Supreme Court documents.
Over the following days, different members of the fraud syndicate reportedly appeared on video calls posing as CBI officers, IPS officers, judges and lawyers. Police said the victim and his wife were kept under continuous surveillance through frequent video calls and instructed not to discuss the matter with anyone.
Under intense psychological pressure, the retiree was allegedly told to liquidate his financial assets, including fixed deposits and insurance investments, and transfer the funds to accounts provided by the fraudsters for so-called verification purposes.
Following these instructions, he transferred more than Rs 1.40 crore from his bank account on March 19. Another Rs 19 lakh was transferred on March 27, taking the total amount sent to the accused to nearly Rs 1.59 crore.
The fraudsters allegedly continued demanding more money even after receiving the large sum, asking the victim to break additional fixed deposits held in other banks.
The scam came to light when bank officials flagged the unusual transactions and contacted the victim’s daughter. After learning about the circumstances, she convinced her father that he was being deceived and immediately reported the matter through the national cybercrime helpline.
Authorities managed to freeze part of the transferred amount and recover Rs 11.36 lakh. However, nearly Rs 1.47 crore remains unrecovered.
Based on the complaint, Vadodara Cyber Crime Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to trace the accused and track the money trail.
The incident is the latest in a growing series of “digital arrest” scams, where fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officials and use fear, intimidation and fake legal documents to extort money from victims.
