In a chilling incident that underscores the growing menace of cybercrime, a 75-year-old woman in Lucknow endured days of psychological terror as fraudsters subjected her to a sophisticated digital arrest. The scam, which nearly cost the elderly victim her life savings of nearly Rs 1.5 crore, was foiled at the last minute by alert police officers.
The Virtual Siege: A Textbook Digital Arrest
The ordeal began on December 11 when the woman, a resident of Vikasnagar, received a call from individuals claiming to be senior CBI officers. The callers presented a fabricated yet terrifying narrative, accusing her of involvement in terror funding linked to recent blasts in Delhi and Kashmir. They alleged that her Aadhaar details and her late husband Shiv Kumar Shukla's mobile number had been misused in a massive Rs 50-crore money-laundering case.
For the next four days, until December 15, the woman lived under a state of virtual house arrest, controlled entirely through her mobile phone. The scammers used relentless WhatsApp video calls to maintain their illusion of authority. They displayed men in uniform, used official-sounding jargon, and showed a backdrop designed to look like a government office.
The rules of her confinement were absolute: she was ordered not to step outside her home, not to speak to any family members, and not to contact anyone for help. Each day, she was forced to provide a secret verification code to prove her compliance, a tactic that systematically increased her psychological distress and isolation.
The Final Demand and Last-Minute Rescue
After days of intense psychological pressure, during which the woman was coerced into sharing her Aadhaar, bank, and other confidential details, the fraudsters made their final move. They instructed her to liquidate all her assets immediately. She was told to break her fixed deposits, empty her bank accounts, and transfer the entire sum—amounting to nearly Rs 1.5 crore—to a so-called "safe account" via RTGS.
The scam was on the verge of success. The victim had already initiated the process of encashing her fixed deposits. However, fate intervened in the form of sheer chance and sharp police instinct. Vikasnagar Station House Officer (SHO) Alok Singh was present at a bank for a routine inspection when he noticed the elderly woman behaving in a highly unusual and distressed manner.
Sensing something was seriously amiss, SHO Singh called a woman constable to discreetly speak with her. It was then that the traumatized woman broke down and shared her horrific ordeal. Police immediately coordinated with bank officials and confirmed to her that she was the target of an elaborate cyber fraud.
Police Counter-Operation and Ongoing Investigation
Acting swiftly, the police launched a counter-operation. SHO Alok Singh posed as a relative of the woman and engaged the fraudsters directly, while his team worked behind the scenes to track them. This intervention led to the stoppage of a fixed deposit payment worth Rs 1.21 crore, saving the bulk of her money.
Although the accused eventually severed contact and vanished into the digital ether, police authorities have confirmed that the electronic trail is being actively pursued. The case is a stark reminder of the evolving tactics used by cybercriminals to exploit fear and authority, particularly targeting vulnerable elderly citizens.
The key facts of this alarming case are:
- Victim: 75-year-old woman from Vikasnagar, Lucknow.
- Modus Operandi: Impersonation of CBI officers, accusations of terror funding and money laundering.
- Duration: December 11 to December 15.
- Demand: Nearly Rs 1.5 crore.
- Amount Saved: Rs 1.21 crore (one fixed deposit) stopped just in time.
- Key Rescuer: Vikasnagar SHO Alok Singh.
This incident highlights the critical need for public awareness about such digital arrest scams and underscores the importance of verifying any extraordinary legal claim directly with local law enforcement before taking action.
