Retired BHEL supervisor duped of Rs 68.3 lakh in digital arrest scam

 

 

In a recent digital fraud case, new details have emerged surrounding the ‘digital arrest’ scam that defrauded Vinod Kumar Gupta, a 71-year-old retired BHEL supervisor, of Rs 68.3 lakh. Cybercrime officials have revealed that the stolen amount was transferred to at least 10 different bank accounts across the country.

 

The investigation indicates that Rs 14.7 lakh was sent to an account in Maharashtra, Rs 7 lakh to Delhi, and Rs 4.2 lakh to two accounts in Meerut. The remaining amount was transferred to five accounts located in West Bengal. The fraudulent operation involved the use of five SIM cards: three virtual numbers, one from the Northeast, and one for WhatsApp communication.

 

The cybercrime branch has sought Meta’s help in tracing the virtual numbers and has also requested the call detail record (CDR) and customer application form (CAF) details for the SIM card from the Northeast. The investigation further revealed that Gupta was under “digital arrest” for nearly three months.

 

During this period, he lived in constant fear, as the fraudsters convinced him that he was under investigation for serious crimes like money laundering and drug trafficking. The cybercriminals, who impersonated senior officials from the Department of Telecommunications and the CBI, not only forced him to transfer his savings but also controlled his daily activities.

 

They would demand ‘permission’ from him to speak with his son or go out with family members. According to cybercrime officials, the scammers terrified Gupta by showing him an ICICI Bank passbook with his name on it, which allegedly held Rs 68 crore of black money, linking him to illicit activities. Fearing arrest, Gupta transferred the funds to multiple bank accounts as instructed. Police have urged citizens to be vigilant against such suspicious calls and report them immediately.