HYDERABAD: 72-year-old woman loses ₹14.5 lakh in ‘digital arrest’ cyber scam
HYDERABAD: A 72-year-old retired employee from Kokapet lost ₹14,50,000 after cyber fraudsters placed her under a fake “digital arrest” and coerced her into transferring money, police said.
According to the complaint, resident of Kokapet, received a call on March 18, 2026, from a person identifying himself as Madhan Kumar, Inspector from Bengaluru’s Rajarajeshwari Nagar police station. He told her that a woman trafficking case had been registered against her under FIR No. BK354A/0326 and claimed a SIM card linked to her Aadhaar was used in illegal activities.
He later connected her to another caller posing as Archana Ramasundaram, IPS, who alleged that she was a suspect in a woman trafficking case involving one Sadhat Khan, allegedly arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The caller also claimed that large transactions were detected in a Canara Bank account in Mumbai in her name.
Despite denying the allegations, she was threatened with arrest. The callers told her she was under “digital arrest” and warned that non-cooperation would lead to action by the Enforcement Directorate under Supreme Court guidance. They then asked her to share bank details for “verification”.
Asked to transfer savings, take loan against gold
Under pressure, she shared her account details and was instructed to transfer funds to accounts provided by them, with assurance that the amount would be refunded after verification. She was later asked about her assets and disclosed details of her gold ornaments.
The fraudsters then instructed her to avail a gold loan and transfer additional money, which she did. Subsequently, she was asked to pay another ₹20 lakh as a “security deposit”, prompting her to realise the fraud.
She reported the matter to cyber crime authorities, stating that the suspects used multiple phone numbers. The complainant said she was cheated of ₹14,50,000 and sought recovery of the amount. Police registered a case.
