Scammers pose as police, trick 78-year-old into losing Rs 13 lakh life savings in digital heist

A 78-year-old man was digitally trapped for nine days by scammers posing as police officers, who extorted Rs 13 lakh from him, reported TOI. The fraudsters falsely accused him of money laundering and threatened his arrest within two days.

Ratan Singh, an English teacher at a coaching centre and resident of Pandav Nagar, described the harrowing experience in his complaint. It all started on December 19 when he received a call while preparing tea before heading to work. The caller warned that his phone number would be disconnected within two hours.

The call was then transferred to someone impersonating a policeman, who handed it over to a person claiming to be a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). “They created a scene that made me believe the call was legitimate. Then the torture began,” Ratan recounted, said the report.


The scammers escalated the situation by telling Ratan he was implicated in a money laundering case. They claimed his property would be sealed, and he would be arrested within two days unless he complied. They instructed him to provide his bank details, including the balance in his accounts, and demanded that he transfer his money to their accounts to avoid arrest and property confiscation.

According to TOI, to heighten the pressure, the scammers told Ratan he was under surveillance and asked for personal information, including his location and battery percentage. They warned him not to inform anyone, threatening to seize his house if he did. Fearing the repercussions, Ratan did not tell his wife or daughter about the calls.

Following the scammers' instructions, Ratan transferred the money, believing it was the only way to protect his reputation and prevent the police from coming to his home. “I thought if the police showed up, my reputation would be ruined and everything would be lost forever,” he said.

The scam was only uncovered when a relative alerted him that he had been duped. He then filed a report on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, reported TOI.

A case has been registered under Sections 318 (cheating), 319 (cheating by personation), and 3(5) (common intention) of the IPC. Ratan, who had saved money to buy a small house in another state, now finds all his savings gone.