Retired employee duped of ₹3.35 lakh in online ‘digital arrest’ scam
Fraudsters posed as CBI officers and forced victim to transfer money
HYDERABAD: A 72-year-old retired employee from Bakaram, Hyderabad, was allegedly duped of ₹3.35 lakh by cyber fraudsters posing as officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The victim, D Solomon Amrutha Raj, lodged a complaint with the Cyber Crimes police station, on October 31, 2025, after realising he had fallen prey to a “digital arrest” scam.
Fake courier call led to intimidation
According to the complaint, Raj received a call on October 27 from an unknown number claiming that a Blue Dart courier sent in his name from Mumbai to Thailand had been seized for containing illegal drugs and a passport. The caller connected him to another person who identified himself as “Vijayraj”, an investigating officer with the CBI, and later spoke to him via video call.
During the call, the fraudster alleged that four bank accounts had been opened in Raj’s name in Mumbai and that ₹3 crore had been transferred through them. He threatened Raj and his wife with immediate arrest, claiming the case involved national security. The caller also sent a forged document bearing a CBI letterhead, the signature of a Deputy Commissioner of Police, and an official-looking stamp.
Victim transferred money after threat
The next day, another impersonator, claiming to be a Deputy Commissioner of Police named Balasingh Rajput, called Raj via WhatsApp video. He conducted a fake “investigation”, alleging that Raj’s Aadhaar number was linked to money laundering. He was then introduced to a third person, identifying himself as George Mathews from the “finance department”, who asked for Raj’s financial details, including fixed deposit receipts.
Believing the scam to be genuine, Raj liquidated his two fixed deposits — one with State Bank of India, Padmarao Nagar branch, and another with Union Bank of India, Bakaram branch — and transferred ₹3.35 lakh to an account provided by the fraudsters (UCO Bank, Khurai branch, Madhya Pradesh, account number 34710110006221, in the name of Janaki Viswakarma).
Complaint filed after family alert
On October 29, Raj informed his children, who recognised it as a digital arrest scam — a form of online extortion where victims are coerced into paying money under the pretext of government action. He then lodged a complaint through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP acknowledgment no. 33710250048624) and at the Cyber Crimes police station.
Police said a case has been registered and efforts are under way to trace the accused using bank and call records.
