Elderly Engineer Duped of ₹10 Crores in a 19-Day ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam

(Digital Arrest is a type of online fraud where scammers impersonate administrative officials or police officers to intimidate victims and extort large sums of money)

New Delhi – A 77-year-old retired engineer residing in the Rohini area fell victim to a massive cyber fraud, losing ₹10.30 crores over 19 days.

The victim reported that he received a call on September 25 from a person claiming to be a representative of a courier company. The caller alleged that a suspicious parcel sent from Mumbai to China was linked to his name. When the victim denied any involvement, he was directed to speak to a purported Mumbai Police officer.

Subsequently, the victim received a video call showing a person sitting in front of a police emblem. This individual claimed to be an officer investigating the parcel scam and demanded the victim’s bank account details for verification.

The victim was later contacted by another person posing as a senior CBI officer, who intensified the pressure by accusing him of illegal activities. The victim was coerced into sitting in a secluded room while being questioned, during which he was shown documents allegedly containing his Aadhaar card number.

Threatened with severe consequences, the victim was warned not to disclose the matter to his children or anyone else. Another scammer, claiming to be from the Enforcement Directorate, assured the victim of assistance, further confusing and intimidating him.

Over the course of 19 days, the scammers extorted ₹10.30 crores from the victim through three online transfers. On October 14, they claimed the victim’s brother also needed to be interrogated. Under immense pressure, the victim involved his brother, who quickly realized it was a scam and filed a complaint with the Rohini District Police Cyber Cell.

The police are investigating the case, suspecting the involvement of a well-organized cybercrime network.