Bhubaneswar: The state crime branch on Tuesday arrested two men for allegedly extracting about Rs 1.38 crore from a city-based retired engineer after keeping him under ‘digital arrest’ for around a week in May 2024.Impersonating law enforcement officials, the fraudsters convinced the man in his 60s that his Aadhaar card was linked to money laundering and coerced him into transferring his life savings.The accused have been identified as Subham Sharma, alias Sanjay Rana (29) of Delhi, and Amit Kumar (31) of Uttar Pradesh.The victim’s ordeal began on May 10, 2024, when he received repeated calls from unknown men claiming to be courier company staff and Mumbai police. They alleged that his mobile and Aadhaar numbers were linked to illegal activities. Despite denial, the callers insisted his Aadhaar details were being misused.The next day, he was connected to a fake Mumbai police officer who placed him under ‘digital arrest’, restricting his movement and warning him not to disconnect the video call or inform anyone. “The victim was shown a uniformed cop on video call who threatened him with immediate arrest,” said a senior crime branch officer.The scammers escalated pressure, claiming Bhubaneswar police were monitoring him and would soon arrest him. Exploiting his fear, they demanded he transfer all funds from his accounts as a “security deposit” until verification was complete, assuring him the money would be returned if no wrongdoing was found.Between May 14 and 18, 2024, the terrified man transferred his entire savings. Investigators later traced the money trail, revealing that Rs 13.5 lakh was credited to Sharma’s account and Rs 13 lakh to Kumar’s account, among other transactions. Crime branch officials said a detailed probe of bank records, account documents, mobile data, and transaction trails confirmed the elaborate scam.