New Delhi [India], October 18 (ANI): The Proactive Victim Identification & Protection Team of the Financial Monitoring Cell (FMC), IFSO Unit, Delhi Police, has rescued multiple senior citizens from “digital arrest” frauds and prevented potential further losses of Rs 1.53 crore across five states.
The team acted on its own by tracking suspicious money trails, identifying victims still under the control of fraudsters, and intervening before more funds were drained, police said.
The effort began after a complaint was received through Cyber Helpline 1930. On September 14, a retired military officer in Delhi’s Sagarpur was targeted by callers posing as Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) officials. They claimed that SIM cards and credit cards issued on his Aadhaar had been misused in Canada. He was subsequently put on a video call with a person impersonating an IPS officer, who threatened to arrest him in a money-laundering case, an official statement said.
Frightened by the threats, the officer transferred large sums from his Bank of Baroda, ICICI Bank and State Bank of India accounts. An e-FIR was registered on September 29.
Scrutiny of the complainant’s ICICI Bank account revealed that the funds had moved to an Axis Bank mule account in Hyderabad. Further analysis showed that five other victims had transferred money to the same account between September 21 and 29. The team contacted them in time.
In Najafgarh, Delhi, a 77-year-old retired Airports Authority of India employee had been under digital arrest since September 17. Fraudsters were demanding another Rs 3 lakh and pressuring him to pledge gold and silver. Counselling, verification through Helpline 1930 and a police visit ended the ordeal, preventing a further loss of about Rs 3.48 lakh.
In Rajasthan, an 80-year-old cloth trader living with his wife had already paid Rs 18 lakh and was being forced to mortgage his house for another Rs 10 lakh. The team connected him with the state helpline, stopping the additional payment.
In Uttar Pradesh, a retired railway employee and his wife, a nurse, both around 70, had paid about Rs 52 lakh after being told their Aadhaar was linked to a blast case. Intervention stopped the breaking of a Rs 10 lakh fixed deposit.
In Maharashtra, a 65-year-old hospital assistant who had been under digital arrest for 15 days had lost around Rs 85 lakh. The team intervened to protect family fixed deposits from a further demand of Rs 55 lakh.
In Gujarat, a 50-year-old businessman who had transferred Rs 25 lakh believing it was an investment was alerted in time. Persistent follow-up prevented him from transferring the remaining Rs 75 lakh of a planned Rs 1 crore investment.
Four of the five cases involved elderly citizens aged 65–80, several of whom were living alone. The team coordinated with banks, Helpline 1930 and state cyber cells to register complaints and secure the remaining funds.
Delhi Police reiterated that there is no such thing as “digital arrest” and that no genuine official will demand money over a video call. (ANI)
Delhi Police prevents Rs 1.53 crore loss in digital arrest scams across 5 states
