Chandigarh: 89-yr-old woman loses ₹77 lakh in digital arrest
On July 10, the victim—a retired teacher—received a call from a mobile number, where the caller claimed to be from the Mumbai crime branch; she was told her Aadhaar card had been misused to purchase SIM cards and open bank accounts in Mumbai, allegedly linked to a money laundering case involving Jet Airways CEO Naresh Goyal
In yet another case of a high-value cyber fraud, an 89-year-old widow from Sector 34-D was duped of her entire life savings worth ₹77.42 lakh by conmen posing as officials from the Mumbai crime branch and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
On July 10, the victim—a retired teacher—received a call from a mobile number, where the caller claimed to be from the Mumbai crime branch. She was told her Aadhaar card had been misused to purchase SIM cards and open bank accounts in Mumbai, allegedly linked to a money laundering case involving Jet Airways CEO Naresh Goyal.
The caller threatened her with arrest, citing a registered FIR in Mumbai, and put her in touch with two men, Vijay Khanna and Vishal Gupta, via WhatsApp video call. Both were dressed in police uniforms and identified themselves as an SHO and investigation officer, respectively.
They showed her fabricated arrest warrants, a petition to the Chief Justice of India, and a fake Supreme Court order directing the CBI to investigate her and attach her assets.
The fraudsters kept the elderly woman on continuous WhatsApp calls from July 10 to July 14, issuing minute-to-minute instructions. They forced her to declare all her bank deposits, encash her fixed deposits, transfer her entire savings to “secret supervision accounts” for 24–48 hours and swear an oath that she would not disclose the “CBI investigation” to anyone.
{{/usCountry}}The fraudsters kept the elderly woman on continuous WhatsApp calls from July 10 to July 14, issuing minute-to-minute instructions. They forced her to declare all her bank deposits, encash her fixed deposits, transfer her entire savings to “secret supervision accounts” for 24–48 hours and swear an oath that she would not disclose the “CBI investigation” to anyone.
{{/usCountry}}Under pressure, she made four RTGS transfers from her accounts to the fraudsters. In total, ₹77.42 lakh was siphoned off.
{{/usCountry}}Under pressure, she made four RTGS transfers from her accounts to the fraudsters. In total, ₹77.42 lakh was siphoned off.
{{/usCountry}}She lodged a complaint with the Chandigarh Cyber Crime Police Station on July 14, narrating how she was psychologically manipulated over four days into transferring her savings to multiple bank accounts under the pretext of “court-monitored secret supervision” of her funds.
{{/usCountry}}She lodged a complaint with the Chandigarh Cyber Crime Police Station on July 14, narrating how she was psychologically manipulated over four days into transferring her savings to multiple bank accounts under the pretext of “court-monitored secret supervision” of her funds.
{{/usCountry}}“I remained in a state of great stress because they said I would be arrested and that Naresh Goyal could harm my family. Almost my entire life savings have been taken away from me,” the victim mentioned in her complaint.
{{/usCountry}}“I remained in a state of great stress because they said I would be arrested and that Naresh Goyal could harm my family. Almost my entire life savings have been taken away from me,” the victim mentioned in her complaint.
{{/usCountry}}The cyber police station has registered a case under Sections 308, 319 (2), 318 (4), 336 (3), 338, 340 (2), and 61 (2) of the BNS.
