Hyderabad man duped of ₹1.4 lakh in ‘digital arrest’ scam

A 57-year-old private employee from Hyderabad was conned out of ₹1.4 lakh in a ‘digital arrest’ scam with fraudsters posing as government officials and threatening him with arrest in a fictitious money laundering case.

The case unfolded on May 12, when the victim received a phone call claiming that a bank account had been fraudulently opened using his Aadhaar details, and that a money laundering case had been registered against him in Bengaluru. The caller warned the man that unless he cooperated, he would be arrested and jailed.

In an attempt to make the ploy convincing, the fraudster initiated a two-hour video call over WhatsApp, posing as an investigator. The victim, rattled by the threats, was asked to pay ₹50,000 as a “processing fee”. Trusting the caller, he transferred the amount to a bank account provided during the call.

The scam escalated when the victim was told that his case was being forwarded to a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer. He was asked to disclose sensitive information, including the bank balances of both himself and his wife. The fraudster cautioned that the entire matter was confidential and insisted that any disclosure would endanger his family. The victim was warned of a possible prison sentence of 2-3 years and told he might need to appear before the Supreme Court.

In the days that followed, the victim was kept under sustained psychological pressure, with the fraudster continuing video calls lasting 2-3 hours each day. He was made to report every 30 minutes, share his residential address, and comply with the caller’s instructions. Gradually, he ended up paying a total of ₹1,40,000.

To further convince him, the fraudsters sent forged documents, including a fake acknowledgement letter from the ‘Income Tax Department’ for the ₹50,000 payment, a counterfeit letter purportedly from the Supreme Court bearing the forged signature of T. Rabi Sankar, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and a second ‘tax department’ letter confirming receipt of funds.

The victim was told that the Supreme Court would soon approve a refund of the entire amount to his bank account. Realising he had been duped, the victim lodged a complaint with the Cybercrime Wing of the Hyderabad Police. Further investigation into the case is underway.

Published - June 06, 2025 07:47 pm IST