80-year-old retired PSU staffer in Hyderabad loses Rs 1 crore in ‘digital arrest’ scam

Hyderabad: Posing as Bengaluru city police and CBI officials, cyber fraudsters duped an 80-year-old retired PSU employee of over Rs 1.1 crore by threatening t- was registered at the Hyderabad cybercrime police station on July 30.

The scam began on July 12 when the victim received a call alleging that a SIM card issued in his name was linked to Rs 30 crore in laundering and trafficking proceeds in Karnataka. During a video call, fraudsters impersonating officers from Gandhinagar police station in Bengaluru interrogated the elderly man. “A man identifying himself as police inspector Siva Prasad, came on WhatsApp video call accompanied by a few more men in the background, all in police uniform. Siva Prasad reprimanded me for giving my Aadhaar card to someone, and said it was used to open a bank account into which Rs 30 crore in money laundering proceeds was deposited,” the victim said in his complaint lodged with the cybercrime police.

The fraudsters claimed that the laundered money was associated with a man named Sadakath Khan, who was arrested in November 2024 for trafficking people to cybercrime dens in Cambodia and Myanmar. “They asked me to come to Bengaluru for questioning, but I told them I was a retired PSU official and in no condition to travel due to old age. They connected me with a CBI officer on video call. She took bank account details of me and my wife, and instructed us to deposit money in certain accounts for verification. We transferred Rs 1.14 crore between July 14 and 25,” the victim added.

The fraudsters allegedly continued to pressure the victim to mortgage his properties for additional funds. Fortunately, a visiting family friend recognised the fraud on July 29, prompting the victim to approach the police the following day. A case was registered under relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act and Banking Negotiable Instruments (BNS) Act.

“The money was transferred to bank accounts opened in various locations, including Uttar Para and Hooghly. We are analysing the details to identify the offenders,” a cybercrime official stated.