Amid the rising cybercrime across various parts of the country, an elderly couple fell prey to a scam and lost a staggering Rs 3.14 crore in Noida. As per the information, the scammers kept them under a so-called "digital arrest" for nearly 15 days. Sharing details of the case, the Noida Police said the incident occurred in Sector-75 and the victim was identified as Biraj Kumar Sarkar -- a retired private bank officer. Sarkar filed a complaint at the Cyber Police Station and narrated the entire sequence of events that led to the massive fraud, they said.
According to the police, the scam began when the couple received a call on February 25 from a man who claimed to be an official from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The caller initially asked for details of an old phone number. After receiving the information, he alleged that the number was linked to Naresh Goyal and involved in a money laundering investigation.
The caller further claimed that a case had been registered against Sarkar at the Colaba Police Station in Mumbai. Using these false allegations, the scammer instilled fear in the elderly couple, threatening them with arrest.
Intimidation and deceit to transfer money
The scammers didn't stop there. Police say they made Sarkar speak to someone posing as a senior police official from the Colaba station. When Sarkar hesitated to appear in person, the fraudsters convinced him the legal process could continue online. Over the next several days, they impersonated IPS and CBI officers, using threats and psychological pressure to manipulate the couple. Out of fear and confusion, the couple ended up transferring Rs 3.14 crore into multiple accounts as instructed by the fraudsters, they added.
What is digital arrest?
Unlike a physical arrest by law enforcement, a digital arrest involves fraudsters posing as government officials—typically from agencies like the police, CBI, or regulatory bodies such as TRAI or RBI. They falsely accuse the victim of involvement in criminal activities such as money laundering, drug trafficking, or misuse of SIM cards, and claim that an arrest warrant has been issued against them.
The scammers usually contact victims through phone calls or video calls, presenting fake IDs and sometimes even showing fabricated documents or live feeds of fake "courtrooms" or police stations. Victims are then told that to avoid arrest, they must stay isolated—under what is dubbed as "digital arrest." During this time, they are coerced into transferring large sums of money to multiple bank accounts under the pretence of investigation or verification.