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A retired railway employee and his wife in Dwarka lost Rs. 30 lakh to cyber fraudsters who kept them under a fake digital arrest for seven days, posing as officers from the NIA and the Anti-Terrorism Squad.
The scam started on November 23, right after a car blast near the Red Fort had made national headlines. The 74-year-old victim got a call from a man claiming to be an NIA officer. The caller accused him of funding the blast through his bank account. The fresh news made the threat feel real.
The callers soon moved to video calls. Several people posed as investigators and told the couple their bank accounts were tied to the blast case. They threatened arrest and warned the couple not to contact their children or anyone else.
The fraudsters then asked for details of the couple's bank accounts, fixed deposits, and other assets, saying the money needed to be verified. They used a fake confidentiality agreement and forged documents carrying government agency names to keep up the act.
On December 3, the victim withdrew Rs. 30 lakh from a fixed deposit. He sent Rs. 15 lakh to an account the fraudsters gave him and another Rs. 15 lakh the next day. Soon after, they sent a fake RBI letter and then vanished.
Police traced one transfer to an account run by Sunil Singla of Shri Balaji Tractor. The account had reportedly moved nearly Rs. 1 crore linked to several fraud cases. Singla was arrested on May 11. Police also managed to stop part of one transfer in time and got back Rs. 12 lakh for the victim.
Officers say genuine investigators never ask people to stay on video calls, cut off family, or send money for verification. Any such demand is a warning sign, and people should check it through official channels before acting.
Also Read: Screen-Sharing Scam Explained: How Fraudsters Turn UPI Users Into Victims
