Fraudsters posed as CBI and cybercrime officers, accusing the victim of drug and weapon trafficking.
They tricked her into transferring her fixed deposit savings to a fake ‘safe’ account.
The scam came to light when she informed her bank manager, but by then, ₹53 lakh was lost.
In yet another shocking digital arrest scam, a retired government official in Paschim Vihar, Delhi, lost Rs 53 lakh after being duped by the scammers. The fraudsters impersonated CBI officers and cybercrime department officials and informed the victim that her name was linked to serious criminal activities such as drug and weapon trafficking. They also tricked her into transferring her savings to their accounts within five days.
SurveyOn January 11, the woman received a call from a fraudster claiming to be an officer with Hyderabad’s cybercrime unit. He created a frightening situation by stating that her name had been associated with the sale of drugs and weapons. He also provided a fictitious case file number and stated that a digital arrest warrant had been issued against her. They also demand that she travel to Hyderabad within two hours to have her name removed from the records.
The woman stated that she was unable to travel, and the scammers escalated the situation by claiming that the mastermind behind the racket, along with other accused, had been arrested, and they had identified her as a participant. According to the complaint, the fraudster claimed that Rs 3 crore had been transferred to a bank account opened in her name in Hyderabad, making her the prime suspect.
Following that, another individual posing as a senior CBI officer was added to the case. He stated that he would assist her in clearing her name under the senior citizen status, but she must be available for communication at all times and keep her phone charged. The scammers stated that many people including bankers, and politicians were involved in the case.
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The woman was then told to move her fixed deposit money to another ‘safe’ bank account that the scammers shared. She would be granted access to a “super-secret account” and required to make an online deposit, they said. The scammers kept in constant contact with her via phone calls and video chats for five days, which kept her terrified and made sure she did as they said without telling her family.
The scam unfolded when she finally informed the bank manager about the situation. The bank manager immediately reported the scam, but by the time the victim realised, he had lost Rs 53 lakh, her entire life savings. A police report has been filed, and an investigation is underway to apprehend the scammers.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
