60-year-old NRI duped of ₹30 lakh in ‘digital arrest’ scam

The victim, who lives in the US and arrived in India on October 1, received a call around 3am on October 6 from an international number. The caller impersonated an official from the San Francisco embassy and claimed that the NRI needed a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to re-enter the United States due to “suspicious records.”

New Delhi: A 60-year-old a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) visiting relatives in India was trapped in a four-day “digital arrest” scam in October and defrauded of ₹30 lakh by fraudsters posing as embassy and police officials, the Delhi Police said on Monday. One suspect has been arrested in connection with the case.

One suspect has been arrested in connection with the case. (Representative photo)

The victim, who lives in the US and arrived in India on October 1, received a call around 3am on October 6 from an international number. The caller impersonated an official from the San Francisco embassy and claimed that the NRI needed a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to re-enter the United States due to “suspicious records.”

The scam escalated when the caller threatened to transfer the call to Delhi Police headquarters. Over the next four days, the woman was subjected to repeated video calls by individuals dressed in police uniforms who “digitally arrested” her, alleging suspicious transactions in her account. Scared, the NRI was coerced into transferring ₹30 lakh into a specified mule account. The harassment ceased on October 9, after the transfer was completed.

A formal complaint was later filed, leading to an FIR on November 7. An investigation led by inspector Kamal Kumar traced the money to an account held by a Punjab-based partnership firm, Varnav Infotech.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam said, “Further scrutiny revealed that on the very same day, the cheated amount was instantly transferred to multiple other accounts within minutes and subsequently withdrawn through cheques from different states.”

Following raids in Mohali and Chandigarh, police arrested 30-year-old Varun Singh, one of the firm’s partners, on Saturday. Varun, who previously ran a call center in Mohali for credit card sales and debt recovery, allegedly began using his accounts for fraudulent activities after his business failed.

Police seized 38 ATM cards from various banks, 51 cheque books, a Mahindra Scorpio, and ₹2 lakh from the suspect. Investigations into his associate and the wider network are ongoing. Authorities are also probing how the scammers identified and targeted the NRI woman shortly after her arrival in India.