Bhuj Senior Citizen Defrauded of Rs 83 Lakh in Elaborate 'Digital Arrest' Scheme
In a distressing case highlighting the growing sophistication of cybercrime, a 60-year-old retiree living alone in Bhuj, Gujarat, was systematically extorted of a staggering Rs 83.44 lakh over two months by criminals impersonating high-level officials from multiple national institutions.
The Initial Contact and Escalating Threats
The ordeal began on November 26 when Rajyalakshmi Joshi received a phone call from an unknown number. The caller claimed to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and informed her that a SIM card issued in her name was being used for illegal activities and would be deactivated. The call was then swiftly transferred to an individual posing as an officer from the Colaba police station in Mumbai.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), this person alleged that a bank account registered in Joshi's name was involved in suspicious transactions worth Rs 6 crore, linking her to a serious money-laundering case. When Joshi explained she was in Bhuj and unable to travel to Mumbai, the call was disconnected, but the harassment was far from over.
The 'Digital Arrest' Modus Operandi Unfolds
Later that same day, Joshi received a WhatsApp video call from another unknown number. The caller, dressed in a police uniform, identified himself as Vijay Verma, a sub-inspector from Colaba police station. He repeated the allegations and issued a stern warning: disconnecting the call would result in her SIM card being deactivated immediately.
The criminals then intensified their psychological pressure. They added other individuals to the video call who claimed to be senior officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and later, even a Supreme Court judge. Joshi was shown fake arrest warrants and forged Supreme Court orders via WhatsApp, accompanied by threats of imminent arrest and house arrest.
This method of keeping a victim in constant fear through continuous video surveillance is a modus operandi now commonly referred to as "digital arrest". Joshi was instructed not to disconnect the calls under any circumstances, even while performing essential tasks like visiting her bank or buying groceries, effectively placing her under virtual house arrest.
The Financial Drain and Desperate Measures
Under this relentless psychological siege, between November 28 and January 23, Joshi was coerced into transferring the massive sum of Rs 83.44 lakh in multiple tranches to various accounts in private, nationalized, and small payment banks.
In a desperate bid to meet the criminals' escalating demands, the victim and her sister even took out an overdraft loan against a joint National Savings Certificate (NSC) account from a cooperative bank. The pressure was so immense that Joshi traveled to Delhi specifically to get her sister's signature to secure this loan.
The Eventual Realization and Police Intervention
Exhausted by the continual hounding and acting on her sister's urgent advice, Joshi finally contacted the Cyber Crime helpline. The following day, local police visited her residence, confirmed she had been the victim of an elaborate scam, and assisted her in filing a formal complaint to initiate an investigation.
This case serves as a stark warning about the advanced tactics employed by cybercriminals who exploit trust in official institutions to target vulnerable individuals, particularly seniors living alone. It underscores the critical need for public awareness and vigilance against such sophisticated digital fraud schemes.
