Delhi Police arrest two from Gujarat in ₹15 cr ‘digital arrest’ scam targeting NRI doctors

Delhi police have arrested two men from Gujarat for allegedly scamming an elderly NRI doctor couple of nearly ₹15 crore through what is being described as one of India’s costliest “digital arrest” cyber frauds.

The accused have been identified as Divyank Patel and Shitauli. Police said that of the total amount siphoned off, ₹4 crore was transferred to a bank account belonging to Patel. Both were arrested in Vadodara and have been brought to Delhi for further investigation.

The arrests follow a complaint by a 77-year-old IIT graduate and his wife, both doctors, who had returned to India after spending more than four decades in the United States. The couple had planned to serve the country through their NGO but have since been forced to reconsider their decision and are now contemplating returning to the US after losing their life savings to cyber fraud.

According to police, the couple lost ₹14.85 crore over 15 days after falling victim to a “digital arrest” scam, in which scammers impersonated government officials and placed them under constant psychological pressure.

The ordeal began on December 24, when Dr Indira Taneja received a phone call from a man claiming to be a police officer. The caller, who introduced himself as an IPS officer, alleged that her phone number had been used to make abusive and offensive calls. He later invoked provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), warning that the case was linked to national security. Similar threats were issued to her husband, Dr Om Taneja.

The culprits also posed as officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the couple said. From November 24 to December 9, they were allegedly kept under continuous surveillance via their phones and instructed not to disconnect calls or switch off their devices.

Dr Indira reportedly stated that the fake officers told them not to disconnect and to keep their phones charged. He identified him as Dinesh Gupta and remained connected 24/7. 

Explaining why they did not alert relatives or authorities while repeatedly transferring money, Dr Taneja said the fake officers warned them not to share any information with anyone, claiming it was a sensitive matter of national security.

“They told us the Naresh Goel case was linked to national security and that the money would be verified and returned. They asked us to keep everything secret, saying they were monitoring our phones and laptops,” she said.

Police said further investigation is underway to trace the remaining funds and identify other members of the cyber fraud network involved in the case.