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3h ago

Six-Day ‘Digital Arrest’ Drains ₹1.29 Crore From Lucknow Family as Nationwide Crackdown Widens

Police say gangs posing as investigators coerce RTGS transfers through ‘virtual custody’ threats.

The caller, identified himself as a CBI officer named Alok Singh, and told Hardev Singh that an arrest warrant was issued against him.
To make the claim appear legitimate, the caller sent a picture of a “digital arrest” notice via WhatsApp, warning that the elderly man had already been “taken into virtual custody.” (Pic for representation)
For representation only (HT Files)
The trio were sent to judicial custody after production before a court on Monday, said police.

Overview

  • FIR in Lucknow details how a centenarian was kept on phone and video calls from August 20–26 as his son sent ₹1.29 crore via RTGS to accounts in Bhavnagar, Ponda and Jalgaon.
  • Investigators registered the case on August 26 and are tracing beneficiaries across states after the family alerted helpline 1930, with recoveries yet to be reported.
  • Gurugram police say two mule operators and an associate siphoned ₹17 lakh from a ₹51 lakh haul taken from a retired IAS officer in a similar coercion scheme, with the trio arrested in Vadodara and sent to judicial custody.
  • In separate actions, cyber units arrested two suspects in Gwalior linked to impersonation scams and seven in Varanasi tied to call-centre frauds, seizing passbooks, SIM cards and devices as probes follow money moving into crypto.
  • Fresh complaints include a Tiruvarur senior allegedly duped of ₹13.5 lakh and a Hyderabad couple losing ₹33.4 lakh, prompting advisories to verify any claims of legal action and to report via cybercrime.gov.in or 1930.