Daijiworld Media Network - Gandhinagar

Gandhinagar, Feb 23: A 65-year-old retired school teacher from Gandhinagar in Gujarat was allegedly held under a prolonged “digital arrest” for nearly a month and duped of Rs 99 lakh by cyber fraudsters posing as central investigation officials, police said.

The case is being probed by the Gandhinagar Range Cyber Crime Police and underscores the increasing sophistication of online scams despite repeated public awareness campaigns.

According to the complaint, the woman, a resident of Sector 8 in Gandhinagar, received a call on January 16 from an unknown number claiming that a SIM card issued in her name was being used for illegal activities and threat calls.

Soon after, she was contacted through a video call by a man identifying himself as “Ajay Gupta”, who allegedly posed as an officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation. The caller claimed her bank accounts were linked to a money laundering case and warned her of imminent arrest.

Police said the fraudsters also impersonated officials from the Department of Telecommunications to make the threats appear credible. To further convince the victim, they allegedly sent forged documents via WhatsApp, including fabricated orders bearing the name of the Supreme Court of India, fake arrest warrants and purported records from the Mumbai Crime Branch.

Investigators said the woman was placed under constant surveillance by the accused, who instructed her not to contact anyone. She was allegedly compelled to send periodic messages about her whereabouts, effectively keeping her under what cybercrime officials termed a “digital arrest” for 28 days.

Under the pretext of verifying her finances and clearing her name, the fraudsters allegedly pressured her to transfer money from her State Bank of India and post office accounts to multiple bank accounts through RTGS transactions between February 5 and February 13.

Fearing legal action, the retired teacher transferred a total of Rs 99 lakh during this period.

When the promised verification process ended without her money being returned, she realised she had been cheated and contacted the national cybercrime helpline 1930.

A formal complaint has been registered at the Gandhinagar Range Cyber Crime Police Station, and efforts are on to trace the accused and recover the funds.