Retired banker put under 'digital arrest' for 12 days, looted of Rs 2.2 crore
Cyber criminals in Ghaziabad allegedly kept an 84-year-old retired bank manager and his wife under "digital arrest" for 12 days and duped them of nearly
Cyber criminals in Ghaziabad allegedly kept an 84-year-old retired bank manager and his wife under "digital arrest" for 12 days and duped them of nearly Rs 2.20 crore, police officials said on Friday. The scammers allegedly staged a fake court hearing over video calls, posing as police officers, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials and a judge, and interrogated the couple for four to eight hours every day. Out of fear and sustained pressure, the elderly couple transferred their life savings and even borrowed around Rs 70 lakh, depositing the money into bank accounts specified by the scammers.
Read Full Story According to an FIR registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station, 84-year-old retired bank manager, Ram Prakash Huriya, a resident of Ramprastha Greens Society, received a WhatsApp call on May 22. The caller introduced himself as a police officer from Delhi's Daryaganj Police Station and claimed that Huriya's name had surfaced in an alleged Rs 538-crore embezzlement case linked to Canara Bank in 2023. The caller further claimed that an arrest warrant had been issued against him and instructed him not to contact anyone, effectively placing him under "digital arrest". According to the complainant, the following day he was produced before a purported ED officer and later a fake judge through video calls.
The scammers told him that his bank accounts, gold, house and other assets were under investigation and that all his money had to be transferred to government bank accounts for verification. They assured him that the funds would be returned once the inquiry was completed. During this period, the scammers also made him delete WhatsApp chats and notifications and kept him under constant surveillance. The FIR states that between May 22 and June 4, the victim transferred a total of Rs 2,19,73,003 through RTGS into five different bank accounts. The complainant said he also had to borrow around Rs 70 lakh to arrange the money.
After realising he had been defrauded, Ram Prakash Huriya lodged a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police Station. Police have registered an FIR under Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, along with other relevant provisions, and launched an investigation. Police are examining the bank accounts and WhatsApp numbers mentioned in the FIR to identify the scammers and trace the flow of the defrauded money. Ends
The BriefWire