Delhi Police prevents potential losses of Rs 1.53 crore in five 'digital arrest' scams

New Delhi: The Delhi Police has prevented potential losses of Rs 1.53 crore in "digital arrest" scams in five states by timely intervening to save victims, including senior citizens, from transferring additional money to the fraudsters, an official said on Sunday.

The Proactive Victim Identification and Protection Team of the Financial Monitoring Cell (FMC), IFSO Unit, traced suspicious transactions, contacted victims and coordinated with banks and state police to stop further payments, he said.

The investigation began with a complaint received through the cybercrime helpline 1930. On September 14, a retired military officer from Sagarpur in Delhi was allegedly contacted by fraudsters posing as Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) officials, who claimed that SIM cards and credit cards issued using his Aadhaar details had been misused in Canada.


He was subsequently connected through a video call by a person impersonating an IPS officer from Daryaganj police station, who threatened to arrest him in a money laundering case. The victim transferred money from his Bank of Baroda, ICICI Bank and State Bank of India accounts in multiple transactions, police said.

An e-FIR was registered on September 29. While tracing the money, the team found that part of it had reached a bank account allegedly used as a mule account in Hyderabad. Further analysis revealed that five other victims had transferred money into the same account between September 21 and 29, helping the team identify people who were still being targeted.

In the first case, a 77-year-old retired Airports Authority of India employee from Najafgarh had transferred Rs 25 lakh to the account on September 29. The Delhi Police's specialised team found that he had allegedly been under "digital arrest" at home since September 17. His wife was with him, while his son lives in Australia.

The fraudsters had threatened him through video calls while posing as police officers. Initially reluctant to trust the police team, the elderly man was counselled and asked to verify the unit's identity through the national cybercrime helpline 1930 and the officer heading the victim protection team.

The team obtained transaction details from banks, helped register an e-FIR and alerted the Dwarka cyber police station. A police officer visited the victim's home to reassure him. The fraudsters were demanding another Rs 3 lakh and pressuring him to pledge his gold and silver, but the intervention ended the alleged digital arrest and prevented a further loss of around Rs 3.48 lakh, officials said.

An 80-year-old cloth trader and his wife in Rajasthan were allegedly threatened over illegal activities purportedly linked to his Aadhaar details. The couple, who live alone after the death of their son, had already transferred Rs 18 lakh and were being pressured to pay another Rs 10 lakh by mortgaging their house.

The team connected the man with Rajasthan's cybercrime helpline and helped him register a complaint. Following counselling, he stopped further payments, preventing a potential loss of Rs 10 lakh and protecting the couple's home.

The team similarly helped a couple in Uttar Pradesh. They traced a transfer of Rs 25 lakh from an Indian Overseas Bank account belonging to a retired nurse. The nurse's husband, around 70 and a retired railway employee, was also allegedly targeted.

The couple were told that their Aadhaar details had been used to open an account linked to a blast in Jammu and Kashmir and that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had registered a case against them. They had already paid around Rs 52 lakh and were being pressured to break a fixed deposit worth Rs 10 lakh. The team counselled them, helped them contact the state's cybercrime helpline and facilitated a complaint, stopping the further transfer.

In Maharashtra, a 65-year-old hospital assistant had transferred Rs 42 lakh to the mule account. The fraudsters allegedly told him that his Aadhaar details were linked to a bomb blast case and that the NIA was investigating him for money laundering. They had instructed him not to tell anyone, including his family.

After allegedly extracting around Rs 85 lakh, the fraudsters demanded another Rs 55 lakh, Rs 30 lakh from a fixed deposit in his daughter's name and Rs 25 lakh from one in his son-in-law's name. They claimed the money would be sent to the Reserve Bank of India for verification and returned later.

The team helped the elderly victim in registering a complaint through Maharashtra's cybercrime helpline, preventing the further transfer of Rs 55 lakh, officials said.

A 50-year-old businessman in Gujarat had become a victim of a fraud investment scheme. He transferred Rs 25 lakh from his bank account to the mule account in multiple transactions on September 29. When first contacted by the team, he described it as an investment and said he would verify it.

During a follow-up call on October 1, he realised he had been defrauded and was preparing to lodge a complaint through his advocate. He disclosed that he had planned to invest around Rs 1 crore in total. The team's intervention prevented further transfers and a potential loss of Rs 75 lakh.

The five cases together accounted for a potential further loss of Rs 1.53 crore, including Rs 3.48 lakh in Delhi, Rs 10 lakh each in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, Rs 55 lakh in Maharashtra and Rs 75 lakh in Gujarat.