Widow duped of ₹24 lakh in ‘digital arrest’ scam in Ahmedabad

A 70-year-old widow from Memnagar in Ahmedabad was allegedly cheated of nearly ₹24 lakh by cyber fraudsters who impersonated officials of the Department of Telecommunications and the Mumbai Crime Branch, subjecting her to what police describe as a classic case of a 'digital arrest' scam.

As per a complaint registered with the Cyber Crime Police Station, Ahmedabad, the fraud unfolded between January 4 and 22, during which the victim was kept under constant surveillance through WhatsApp calls and video calls by the accused, who used multiple mobile numbers to pose as government and police officials.

The complainant, Mitaben Modi, stated that on January 4, around 4 pm, she received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number. The caller introduced himself as 'Vijay Khanna' from the Telecommunications Department and claimed that a mobile number allegedly registered on her Aadhaar card had been used between 2019 and 2023 for large financial transactions, including deposits of ₹2.5 lakh per month. She was further told that the number was linked to serious crimes such as child pornography and illegal gambling.

The call was then transferred to another person claiming to be Arun Kumar, an investigating officer from Mumbai, followed by WhatsApp video calls from a man identifying himself as Sub-Inspector Pradeep Sawan of the Mumbai Crime Branch. To gain her confidence, the fraudsters sent her forged copies of an FIR and a purported Supreme Court notice bearing her personal details.

Police said the accused instructed the woman to lock herself in a room, remain constantly available on video calls and not inform anyone, warning her that she could be arrested if she failed to cooperate. She was told that although a serious case had been registered against her, she would be spared arrest if she agreed to an “online investigation”.

Over the next few days, the accused repeatedly contacted her, claiming that cases under the Foreign Exchange Management Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act had also been added. To 'expedite' the investigation, she was asked to deposit money as an investigation fee, with assurances that the amount would be refunded within three days.

Fearing arrest, the woman broke her fixed deposits, transferred ₹15 lakh from her Bank of India account to a Yes Bank account provided by the accused, and later pledged her gold ornaments to raise funds. She subsequently transferred ₹9 lakh through RTGS from her SBI account to an ICICI Bank account, also shared by the fraudsters. In total, she transferred ₹24 lakh.

When the accused demanded an additional ₹40 lakh for issuing a police clearance certificate and threatened arrest, the woman finally confided in her son, Kripal Modi. He contacted the national cyber crime helpline (1930), following which a formal complaint was lodged.

Based on the complaint, the Cyber Crime Police Station, Ahmedabad, has registered an FIR against unknown persons for cheating, criminal breach of trust, impersonation and cyber offences under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. A detailed investigation is underway to trace the WhatsApp numbers, bank accounts and digital trails used in the fraud.