Retd Haryana official loses ₹85L to cyberfraudsters in month-long digital arrest scam
The complainant, retired as a high-ranking official from the Haryana government and currently resides at Modern Housing Complex, Manimajra (Sector 13), Chandigarh.
A 75-year-old retired Haryana government officer has been duped of ₹85 lakh by cybercriminals who trapped him in an elaborate digital arrest scam.
The complainant, retired as a high-ranking official from the Haryana government and currently resides at Modern Housing Complex, Manimajra (Sector 13), Chandigarh.
According to the FIR, the ordeal began on October 9, 2025, around 11 am, when complainant received a call from a man identifying himself as Vijay Pandit from the “Telephone Authority of India”. The caller falsely claimed that complainant’s Aadhaar card had been used to open an ICICI Bank account in Delhi involved in money laundering. The fraudster warned that a criminal case was being prepared against him.
To escalate fear, the caller then “transferred” him to other individuals pretending to be senior officials—Rajesh Pradhan, Neeraj Thakur, and Pardeep Singh, the last one impersonating a senior vigilance officer. These individuals contacted complainant using multiple mobile numbers and allegedly maintained continuous psychological pressure on him.
Life savings lost in multiple transfers to obtain ‘innocence certificate’
The scammers warned that both complainant and his wife could be arrested for money laundering. They told him he could only avoid arrest if he cooperated with a “financial verification” process and secured a Priority Innocence Certificate—a fake document supposedly issued by authorities to clear individuals wrongly accused in money laundering cases.
To make the scheme appear legitimate, the accused allegedly sent complainant forged documents purporting to be from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), courts, and law enforcement agencies through WhatsApp.
Under sustained fear and intimidation, the retired officer transferred ₹85 lakh over several transactions into bank accounts provided by the criminals. These transactions were made from both his and his wife’s bank accounts through Axis Bank, State Bank of India, and ICICI Bank between October 16 and November 11.
The scammers allegedly assured complainant that the money would be returned after verification by the RBI and that his “case file” would be sent to the nearest police station within 3–7 business days.
After November, communication from the fraudsters abruptly stopped. When no money was refunded and no follow-up occurred, complainant finally realised he had been trapped in a digital arrest scam. He then approached the Cyber Crime Police Station, requesting urgent action and recovery of his life savings.
Police have registered the complaint under BNS Sections 308 (extortion), 319 (cheating by personation), 318 (cheating) and 340 (fraudulent or dishonest use of forged documents).
Police said that the investigation is underway and the financial trail is being analysed to identify account holders and accomplices involved in the racket. Bank accounts used in the fraud may be frozen as part of the probe.
