A 68-year-old woman in Hyderabad was allegedly defrauded of Rs 21 lakh after cybercriminals posing as telecom officials, police personnel and CBI officers accused her of being involved in illegal activities and threatened her with arrest.
The incident came to light after the woman, who lives alone in R.K. Puram Colony, informed her son about the fraud. She had reportedly been subjected to a prolonged fake investigation through video calls and was pressured into transferring money to accounts controlled by the accused.
According to the complaint, the woman received a call on September 1 from a man who introduced himself as a telecom official named Prasad. Shortly afterwards, another caller, identifying himself as Rajesh Kumar, claimed to be a legal adviser.
The suspects allegedly told her that her name had been connected to criminal activities and that she could be arrested. They later posed as police and CBI officials and conducted a fabricated interrogation over video calls.
Fearing legal action, the woman followed their instructions and transferred a total of Rs 21 lakh to bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. Even after receiving the money, the accused allegedly continued threatening her and demanded that she make further payments.
The woman eventually told her son about the calls on September 5. He then approached the Cybercrime police and filed a complaint.
Police have launched an investigation and are examining the bank accounts used to receive the money as well as the identities of those behind the calls.
The incident highlights how cybercriminals continue to exploit fear of arrest and impersonate government and law enforcement officials to manipulate victims into transferring large sums of money. Authorities have repeatedly warned that no legitimate police, CBI or government official can place a person under “digital arrest” or demand money to avoid arrest during a phone or video call.
