Hyderabad: A 67-year-old retired Army colonel from Kowkoor in Hyderabad has allegedly lost ₹61.8 lakh after cybercriminals impersonating law enforcement officials trapped him in a prolonged digital arrest scam.
Malkajgiri cybercrime police registered a case on October 21 after the victim reported being threatened with criminal proceedings over several weeks.
According to his complaint, the ordeal began on September 8, when a caller posing as an employee of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) claimed that his Aadhaar details had been misused to obtain a mobile number linked to illegal activities.
The call was subsequently transferred to a man claiming to be Mumbai Crime Branch Inspector Rakesh Kumar, who allegedly informed the retired officer that a case had been registered against him. Another fraudster, identifying himself as Inspector SK Jaiswal, later recorded his statement through a WhatsApp video call.
The accused allegedly reinforced their claims by sending fabricated documents, including a First Information Report (FIR), an Interpol notice, an arrest warrant, an Enforcement Directorate order to freeze funds and purported Supreme Court orders. These documents falsely implicated the victim in a money-laundering case.
Under the pretext of verifying his financial holdings, the fraudsters sought details of his bank balance and persuaded him to transfer ₹61.8 lakh to multiple bank accounts between September 16 and October 9.
The accused stopped communicating with the victim on October 9. He revealed the incident to his son on October 19 before approaching the police two days later.
Police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. Further investigation is underway.
Digital arrest scams typically involve criminals posing as police officers or government officials and using threats of arrest, fabricated legal documents and video calls to intimidate victims into transferring money. Genuine law enforcement agencies do not conduct arrests over video calls or demand money transfers for verification.
