Surat: An 82-year-old retired man from Bardoli in Gujarat’s Surat district allegedly lost ₹2.96 crore after cybercriminals posing as Mumbai Police and central investigative agencies trapped him in a prolonged “digital arrest” scam.
The fraud began on August 8, when the elderly man received a WhatsApp message from a number displaying the name “24/7 helpline Mumbai Police headquarters.” The message included what appeared to be an official Reserve Bank of India letter. Soon after, a woman claiming to be a Mumbai Police officer called him and alleged that a bank account had been opened using his Aadhaar details and was linked to a ₹122-crore financial fraud.
The callers told him that his accounts could be frozen and claimed that a suspect named Hitesh Mehta had already been arrested. They then escalated the threat, telling the victim that he was under “digital arrest” and could face 10 years in prison.
To make the deception appear genuine, the fraudsters sent photographs of purported bank cards bearing his name, along with a fake arrest warrant carrying references to the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation. The document also allegedly bore a fabricated Bombay High Court seal and signature.
The victim was warned that he was being monitored around the clock and was instructed not to contact his family, a lawyer or the police. Believing he was under investigation, he repeatedly visited his bank and transferred large sums.
According to the complaint, he paid ₹52.5 lakh on August 11, followed by ₹21.5 lakh, ₹92.5 lakh, ₹90 lakh and ₹39.5 lakh in subsequent transactions.
The fraud continued until August 30, when the callers pressured him to break fixed deposits and even threatened to examine his wife’s accounts. It was only when he approached a bank manager to withdraw money from an FD that he was alerted to the possibility of a scam.
The retired man, who had spent decades working abroad before returning to India in 2007, subsequently approached the police and lodged a complaint.
The case once again highlights how digital arrest scams exploit fear, isolation and fabricated official documents to manipulate victims into transferring their own savings. Authorities have repeatedly warned that no genuine police or investigative agency can place a person under “digital arrest” or demand money for avoiding an arrest.
