Retired banker loses ₹23 crore in Delhi digital arrest fraud

The scamsters subsequently forced him to share details of his bank accounts, assets, demat accounts, lockers, and personal information about his family members, including their locations

A 78-year-old retired banker from South Delhi lost nearly ₹23 crore in a digital arrest fraud after cybercriminals allegedly held him under virtual confinement for a month between August 4 and September 4 at his Gulmohar Park home near Hauz Khas, police officers aware of the matter said on Saturday.

Joint commissioner of police (IFSO) Rajneesh Gupta said, “We have registered a case and are probing the digital arrest fraud. (File photo)

The victim, Naresh Malhotra, who lives alone, was coerced into selling his equity shares and transferring ₹22.92 crore in multiple transactions to the bank accounts of the accused. Delhi Police officers said the cybercriminals impersonated Mumbai Police officials and terrorised Malhotra by alleging that his Aadhaar details were linked to bank accounts used in terror funding and the Pulwama terror attack. They further threatened to kill his two daughters, their husbands, and children if he disclosed the matter to anyone.

“This is apparently the highest amount a victim of digital arrest in the national capital has lost in recent months,” said one of the officers.

An FIR was registered on Friday by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of Delhi Police based on Malhotra’s complaint. According to the officers, the IFSO unit quickly launched an investigation and managed to freeze around ₹1.5 crore that was yet to be withdrawn or transferred from the accounts of the cybercriminals.

Malhotra, in his complaint, stated that he had undergone knee surgery on July 5 at a Delhi hospital and was discharged the same day. On August 1, he received a call on his landline from an unidentified person who posed as a Mumbai Police official. The caller told him his Aadhaar number had been misused to procure a landline in Mumbai and that all his communication lines would be disabled.

The scamsters subsequently forced him to share details of his bank accounts, assets, demat accounts, lockers, and personal information about his family members, including their locations. Malhotra said he was sent a forged court order that claimed his assets, including his passport, were seized.

“On August 4, the scamsters sent me a bail approval, preventing the arrest. They also frightened me with a gagging order to report every two hours from 8am to 8pm with further instructions to not disclose anything to any third party and insisted on me giving every day an undertaking to maintain secrecy under the National Secret Act (NSA) in this regard. They also warned that my disclosure to anyone will endanger the lives of all my family members (two daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren), as they will also be charged under various stringent laws of the country,” Malhotra said in his complaint.

The criminals then told Malhotra to liquidate his equity holdings and transfer ₹22.92 crore to their accounts, assuring him that the Reserve Bank of India would return the money after verification. According to the complaint, the accused used two mobile numbers to perpetrate the fraud.

Joint commissioner of police (IFSO) Rajneesh Gupta said, “We have registered a case and are probing the digital arrest fraud. As such frauds are rampant, I urge citizens to download the ‘Sanchar Saathi App’ developed by the government of India on their mobile phones and block the numbers used by cybercriminals for digital arrest and for sending malicious links and messages. When more than three people block the numbers, they will be permanently blocked, and no more fraud calls, messages or links will be received from such numbers.”