Elderly couple loses ₹6.2 lakh in digital arrest

A case was registered on Saturday under relevant sections of the BNS and IT Act at the Dwarka police station.

An elderly couple in southwest Delhi’s Dwarka was allegedly duped of ₹6.2 lakh after cyber fraudsters held the two hostage on an overnight video call claiming to be officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.

Elderly couple loses ₹6.2 lakh in digital arrest

Police said the victims are Sita Devi, 68 and her husband Raj Pal, residents of Mahavir Enclave in Dwarka. Devi told police that late on September 19, she received a video call from an unknown number, and the caller introduced himself as a CBI official from Mumbai. He claimed that Devi had received ₹2 crore in her bank account and accused her of involvement in financial fraud, she told police.

According to her complaint, the caller insisted that her Aadhaar details and phone number had been used to open the account and that she would be arrested. When she protested, the man said she had been placed under “digital arrest” and must remain seated in front of the video call until his senior officers join the inquiry. Fearing consequences, Devi complied and remained on the call through the night, police said.

The next morning, when her husband Pal returned home, the fraudsters threatened him too and forced him to join the video call. The couple was told that the callers are verifying their financial records. In the process, the fraudsters extracted details of their bank accounts and forced them to transfer ₹6.22 lakh, police said.

After the money was transferred, the callers disconnected and switched off the phone. The couple then informed the family members and police. A case was registered on Saturday under relevant sections of the BNS and IT Act at the Dwarka police station.

The case comes a day after a 78-year-old resident of south Delhi’s Gulmohar Park lost ₹22.9 crore to cyber fraudsters who claimed to be from Mumbai Police and threatened the victim to kill his two daughters, their husbands, and children if he disclosed the matter to anyone.

A senior police officer said that ₹2.5 crore of the total amount has been frozen in the banking system and the fraudsters will not be able to withdraw the amount.

“It’s likely that the victim will receive this amount following the legal course of action,” the officer said.