Telangana: Elderly Man Swindled of Rs.7.3 Crore in Digital Arrest Scam
The fraud came to light only on December 29, 2025, when the scammers resurfaced after a period of silence to demand an additional ₹1.2 crore as case closure fees.
Hyderabad: In a brutal act of cyberextortion, an elderly businessman from Somajiguda was swindled of ₹7.31 crore by fraudsters who kept him under a so-called “digital arrest” for two months, on the pretext of a high-profile narcotics and terror probe.
The ordeal began on October 27, 2025, when the 83-year-old victim received a WhatsApp call from a cybercrook claiming that a courier sent in his name from Mumbai to Bangkok had been intercepted, a cybercop said.
The caller alleged the parcel contained multiple passports, a laptop and narcotics. When the victim denied the charges, the call was “patched” to a fake Mumbai police officer. The impersonators intensified the intimidation, accusing the elderly man of money laundering and links with terror outfits, he said.
To ensure his “cooperation,” the offender placed him under a “digital arrest”— a non-existent legal procedure — forcing him to remain on continuous video calls to monitor his movements and prohibiting him from leaving his house.
Under the guise of a “financial verification” process by federal agencies, the scammers first coerced the victim into transferring ₹19.80 lakh, a TGCSB officer disclosed.
On October 29, 2025, the crooks shifted communication to the Signal app, where they pressured him into liquidating his mutual funds and fixed deposits. Convinced the money would be returned after “scrutiny,” the victim transferred ₹7.12 crore to accounts provided by the accused.
The fraud came to light only on December 29, 2025, when the scammers resurfaced after a period of silence to demand an additional ₹1.2 crore as case closure fees. The victim, who had recently read a newspaper report about similar “digital arrest” scams, grew suspicious and approached the authorities, the officer said.
The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau has registered a case and is tracking the money trail. “Our technical experts are working to trace the accused through the digital footprints left on the Signal app and bank accounts,” the officer said.
