An elderly couple in Bhopal was subjected to a months-long digital arrest scam, losing ₹22 lakh after being manipulated by fraudsters posing as police and CBI officials, amidst a surge in similar incidents across India.
An elderly couple in Bhopal were allegedly held in a months-long “digital arrest” scam and cheated out of ₹22 lakh after fraudsters posing as police and CBI officers terrified them with claims of a money-laundering probe, according to the Free Press Journal. Police said the couple only approached cyber officers about a month after realising they had been deceived, and the case was then handed to Kolar police for investigation.
The woman, 65, had been in Andhra Pradesh with family in May when she received a call from a man claiming to be from Daryaganj police station in Delhi. He told her that an arrest warrant had been issued in her name and that large sums had supposedly been moved through her bank account into one linked to Naresh Goyal. The caller warned her not to tell anyone, a tactic that has become common in recent “digital arrest” cases across India.
According to the complaint, the scammers then escalated the pressure by involving another caller posing as a CBI officer and arranging a video appearance by someone claiming to be a judge. That person allegedly threatened to seize the couple’s property unless they cooperated. The pair were told to return to Bhopal and raise funds, which they eventually did by pawning gold jewellery and taking out a loan.
Cyber fraud of this kind has been surfacing repeatedly in Delhi-NCR and other cities. Moneycontrol reported that an elderly NRI couple in Delhi lost ₹14.85 crore after impostors pretending to be telecom and police officials used video calls and threats to force transfers. Hindustan Times reported a similar case in Noida involving a loss of ₹58 lakh, while Outlook and NDTV said South Delhi victims were cheated of nearly ₹14 crore in a highly organised operation. In Chandigarh, The Times of India reported that six people were arrested in a separate case involving fake arrest warrants and coercion. Police in Bhopal are now tracing the mobile numbers and bank accounts used in the latest fraud.
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