CBI Probes ₹10 Crore ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam Targeting Retired Engineer in Delhi
73 year old victim allegedly tricked by fraudsters posing as police and officials, forced into multiple transactions
A major cyber fraud case has come to light in Delhi, where a 73 year old retired engineer was allegedly cheated out of more than ₹10 crore through a so called “digital arrest” scam. The case is now under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation following growing concerns over similar incidents across the country.
According to officials, the fraudsters initially contacted the victim, who lives in Rohini, claiming that a parcel sent to China using his Aadhaar details had been flagged and returned. The callers introduced themselves as representatives of a courier company and later connected him to individuals posing as police officers from Mumbai.
The scammers reportedly used fear and pressure to manipulate the victim, convincing him that he was under investigation. They then forced him to transfer large sums of money in multiple transactions, claiming the payments were required by law enforcement authorities and even senior officials.
The victim, identified as Naresh Malhotra, is said to have transferred around ₹10.3 crore in October last year. He initially approached the cyber cell of Delhi Police, after which the case was handled by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations unit.
Earlier this month, the Union Home Ministry handed over the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a more detailed probe. This move came after the Supreme Court of India took note of the rising number of digital arrest scams nationwide.
In a related development, the CBI recently filed a chargesheet in another case involving a Siliguri based trust accused of defrauding a 78 year old retired banker from Delhi of ₹23 crore using similar tactics.
Sources said that in Malhotra’s case, the fraudsters kept him under psychological pressure for over a month, restricting his movements and only allowing him to step out to withdraw money from banks.
Investigators are now working to trace the network behind the scam and prevent further such incidents as digital fraud continues to evolve in alarming ways.