Gujarat police and banks are intensifying efforts to combat a rise in complex digital arrest scams that manipulate fear and isolation among older citizens, deploying staged scenes and fake warrants to siphon off millions of rupees.
Police in Gujarat are warning that so-called digital arrest scams are becoming more sophisticated, with fraudsters using video calls, forged warrants and fake court settings to frighten victims into handing over savings. In one recent case in Sabarkantha district, a 75-year-old man was stopped by alert bank staff before he could take out a Rs 30 lakh gold loan after being pushed by callers posing as Mumbai police officers to mobilise money for a fake money-laundering probe. DeshGujarat reported that the man had already been made to withdraw jewellery from a locker, while The Indian Express said the intervention came only after a bank officer noticed the transaction looked unusual.
The episode fits a broader pattern that Gujarat cybercrime officials say is affecting older, wealthier people who often live alone and may not be familiar with online fraud. The state’s Cyber Centre of Excellence has recorded 531 digital arrest complaints this year, with losses of more than Rs 37.14 crore, while a separate CBI case in Gandhinagar is investigating the alleged three-month confinement of a 75-year-old gynaecologist who lost nearly Rs 19.24 crore after being pressured to liquidate deposits, property and investments.
Authorities say the scams work because they combine fear, isolation and constant surveillance. Victims are kept on long-running video calls, told not to speak to family members and are sometimes shown staged police stations or courtrooms, according to accounts collected by The Indian Express. In several cases, fraudsters have used the name of Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal as part of the story, along with claims that Aadhaar data was leaked or bank accounts had been used in money laundering.
Banks are increasingly being pulled into the response. Ahmedabad cybercrime officers have set up direct lines of communication with branch officials, asking them to flag large withdrawals by senior citizens and call police when something looks off. The approach has worked in some cases and failed in others, but officers say speed matters because once money is moved through mule accounts it is rarely recovered. That concern has been reinforced by a string of police crackdowns this year, including operations targeting interstate fraud networks and bank-account laundering chains.
Officials and bankers now say the key is not just training tellers but building a wider safety net around elderly customers. Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi has urged a joint committee of government departments, police, the Reserve Bank of India and bankers to create a common strategy against cyber-enabled financial crime. State bankers’ committee officials say quarterly meetings with police are already under way, but they also acknowledge that fraudsters are adapting faster than many institutions. For now, vigilance at the counter remains one of the few reliable defences.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
