Ahmedabad senior citizen ‘digitally arrested’, duped of ₹7 crore in cyber scam, 12 held

In one of the largest cases of ‘digital arrest’ fraud reported in the city, an 82-year-old Ahmedabad resident was allegedly duped of ₹7.12 crore after being held under round-the-clock virtual surveillance for over three weeks by cyber fraudsters posing as senior officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Mumbai Crime Branch, the CBI and even a Supreme Court judge.

The Cyber Crime Branch of Ahmedabad City Police has arrested 12 accused in connection with the racket, which investigators say is linked to an international Chinese cybercrime syndicate operating out of Cambodia. The accused allegedly targeted elderly and vulnerable citizens across India by threatening them with fabricated cases of money laundering, identity theft and national security offences.

 How the fraud unfolded

According to the FIR, the ordeal began on December 4 when the complainant received a call from an unknown number. The caller introduced himself as a TRAI official and claimed that the complainant’s Aadhaar card had been misused to send pornographic videos to a celebrity from a Mumbai address, resulting in a complaint being registered with the Mumbai Crime Branch.

Soon after, the complainant received WhatsApp video calls from another number displaying the logo of the Mumbai Crime Branch. A man, claiming to be an Assistant Director with the Crime Branch, reprimanded the senior citizen and alleged his involvement in a money laundering case linked to a person named Naresh Goyal. The caller claimed that illegal transactions worth over ₹2 crore had been routed through a Canara Bank account allegedly opened using the complainant’s identity.

To bolster the deception, the fraudsters sent forged documents via WhatsApp, including fake FIRs, letters bearing the logos of the Mumbai Police, CBI, RBI, ED, and Interpol, as well as images of purported arrests. The victim was told that he faced imminent arrest, custodial torture and public humiliation unless he cooperated fully with the “investigation”.

Fake court hearing and 24×7 surveillance

Over the next few days, the complainant was kept under constant WhatsApp video surveillance, a tactic police refer to as “digital arrest”. He was even made to attend a sham online court hearing, where a person dressed as a judge appeared on video along with fake lawyers and police officers. The victim was instructed to submit an affidavit on WhatsApp and was told he could remain at home while the investigation continued — but only under strict virtual monitoring.

The fraudsters extracted detailed personal and financial information, including bank account details, savings, property particulars and demat account statements. The elderly man was also instructed to purchase a new mobile phone to enable “secure surveillance”.

 ₹7.12 crore siphoned off

Between December 16 and December 26, the complainant was coerced into transferring ₹7.12 crore from his HDFC and SBI bank accounts to multiple accounts in Axis Bank and YES Bank. The transfers were made via RTGS and cheques after the accused assured him that the funds were being sent to the RBI and Enforcement Directorate for “verification” and would be refunded after inspection.

Fake letters bearing the Government of India, ED and Supreme Court logos were shared to reinforce the claim. When no refund materialised, and inconsistencies emerged in the documents, the complainant realised he had been cheated and contacted the cyber helpline 1930 before lodging a formal complaint with the Cyber Crime Police Station, Ahmedabad.

Arrests and wider network

Based on technical analysis and human intelligence, Ahmedabad Cyber Crime police arrested 12 accused from Ahmedabad and Surat. The accused include rickshaw drivers, labour contractors and small traders, many of whom allegedly allowed their bank accounts to be used for laundering fraud proceeds in exchange for commissions.

The arrested accused are:

1. Dasharathbhai Jivabhai Nayak (44),  Rickshaw driver, resident of Vejalpur, Ahmedabad

2. Brijesh alias Akshay Bharatbhai Shah (38), Rickshaw driver, resident of Vejalpur, Ahmedabad

3. Hitendra Vinodbhai Solanki (39), Driver, resident of Vejalpur, Ahmedabad

4. Vijaykumar Grihaprasad Kori (44),  Private job, resident of Sardarnagar, Ahmedabad

5. Nayan alias Govindbhai Hinsu (Patel) (42),  Private job, resident of Nikol, Ahmedabad

6. Jaldeepbhai Rameshbhai Dakhra (32), Business (marketing), resident of Surat

7. Rohan Kishorebhai Patel (24),  Business, resident of Surat

8. Sunilbhai Babubhai Dhamecha (28), Business, resident of Surat

9. Janakkumar alias Jai Bhikhabhai Gadhadara (30),  Business, resident of Surat

10. Rahul Kanjibhai Moradiya (Patel) (33),

Police said the investigation revealed that the gang converted large sums of money into USDT (cryptocurrency) and routed it to Chinese handlers through Telegram channels. At least 238 mule bank accounts across several states were found to be linked to the network.

During raids, police seized 16 mobile phones, one SIM card and cash worth ₹1.73 lakh, with total recoveries valued at around ₹2.94 lakh.

Case registered, probe on

An offence has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, including charges of cheating, impersonation, criminal conspiracy and identity theft. Police said further arrests are likely as efforts are on to trace the international links and recover the defrauded amount.

Senior officers said the case highlights the growing threat of “digital arrest” scams and urged citizens, particularly senior citizens, to remain vigilant and verify any claims of investigations or arrests with local police before sharing information or transferring money.