Bhopal elderly couple defrauded of 22 lakh rupees in 97-day digital arrest scam

An elderly couple in Bhopal, India, was victimized in a prolonged ‘digital arrest’ scam that lasted approximately 97 days. Cybercriminals impersonated officials from the Delhi Police, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and a Supreme Court judge to intimidate the victims.

The scammers claimed the couple was involved in a massive money laundering case involving suspicious transactions from a bank account in Delhi. To maintain control and prevent the couple from seeking help, the fraudsters kept them under constant surveillance via video calls using seven different WhatsApp numbers.

Under extreme psychological pressure and threats of arrest, the couple mortgaged their jewelry and took loans to transfer approximately 22 lakh rupees to accounts specified by the criminals. The fraud was eventually uncovered when the couple showed a fake seizure order to a friend of their daughter, who is a lawyer practicing at the Supreme Court. The matter has been reported to the Kolar police, who are currently investigating the bank accounts and mobile numbers used in the scam.