Hyderabad Digital Arrest Scam: 71-Year-Old Loses Rs 1.92 Crore

A 71-year-old male victim from Hyderabad had approached the police with a complaint stating that he was cheated by cyber fraudsters in the guise of a digital arrest.

The accused, who posed as officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), lured the victim into depositing Rs 1,92,50,070 into various bank accounts between November 7 and 14, a police official said on Sunday.

The fraudsters told the victim that a case had been registered against him for misuse of the Aadhaar card. He was told that using the Aadhaar card, an account was opened in Canara Bank, Mumbai. They made a video call and showed the photo of the Canara bank ATM card, and also sent him a fake FIR of the Crime Branch, Delhi. Later, they demanded money to close the case. Believing them, the victim deposited the amount in the bank accounts provided by them.

After realising that he had been cheated, the victim approached the police. A case was registered at Cybercrime Police Station under sections 66 C, 66 D of the Information Technology Act and the relevant section of the BNS.

Police arrested Pandu Vinith Raj, G. Thirupathaiah and Gouni Vishwanatham, all residents of Hyderabad. They were found involved in five cases across the country, out of which two pertain to Telangana.

The main accused, Saneep alias Alex, was absconding. Vinith Raj was the account supplier, while Thirupathaiah and Vishwanatham were joint account holders.

Police have cautioned citizens against falling victim to digital arrest.

The police clarified that there is no legal concept called a "Digital Arrest" under Indian law. Police do not conduct arrests over video calls; a genuine arrest involves officers physically coming to your location with an official, verifiable warrant, said an advisory.

People have also been advised not to transfer money. Legitimate law enforcement or government agencies (like the Police, CBI, ED, or Customs) will never ask you to pay a fine, security deposit, or transfer money via phone, UPI, cryptocurrency, or gift cards to "avoid arrest" or "clear your name."

Police have also advised citizens not to share OTP, passwords, bank account details, Aadhaar, or PAN information over the phone or video call, especially to an unknown person claiming to be an official.

- IANS