Noida Senior Citizen Defrauded of Rs 1 Crore in Sophisticated 'Digital Arrest' Cyber Scam
In a distressing case highlighting the growing menace of cybercrime, a 72-year-old resident of Greater Noida was cheated out of a staggering Rs 1 crore through an elaborate 'digital arrest' fraud scheme. The Noida Police have confirmed the incident, which involved perpetrators posing as officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), orchestrating a complex deception that culminated in a mock courtroom scenario.
The Deceptive Call and False Allegations
The ordeal began on February 6 when the septuagenarian received a phone call from an individual identifying himself as Ajay Kumar, a purported TRAI official. The fraudster alleged that a SIM card registered under the complainant's name was being used for criminal activities, including the distribution of obscene videos. To escalate the pressure, the scammer falsely claimed that the matter was under investigation by the CBI and demanded that the victim fly to Mumbai within a few hours.
When the elderly man expressed his inability to travel on such short notice, the fraudsters initiated a video call. During this call, they informed him that he would be placed under 'digital arrest' until the investigation concluded. The scammers then fabricated a story, accusing the complainant of selling his Canara Bank account to Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal for Rs 5 lakh. They alleged this account was used to park Rs 2 crore, with the victim receiving a 10% commission, leveraging Goyal's actual arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in September 2023 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for an alleged Rs 538 crore fraud at Canara Bank.
The Mock Courtroom and Financial Extortion
The fraud escalated as the video call transitioned into a staged courtroom setting. The complainant described seeing a person dressed as a judge and another in a police uniform. The 'judge' ordered the 'police officer' to take the victim into custody, but the officer pleaded for leniency, citing the senior citizen's cooperation. This charade was designed to build trust and fear simultaneously.
Subsequently, the fraudsters convinced the complainant that all his savings needed to be transferred to 'authorities' for verification purposes, with a promise of full refund upon completion. Over the next two weeks, the victim transferred approximately Rs 1.3 crore to various bank accounts provided by the scammers. It was only by March 12, when no money was returned, that he realized he had been cheated and filed a formal complaint.
Legal Action and Broader Implications
An FIR was registered at the cyber crime police station on March 12 after the complaint was lodged via the NCRP portal. The case has been filed under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 308(2) for extortion, 318(4) for cheating, and 319(2) for cheating by personation, along with Section 66D of the Information Technology Act. This incident underscores the vulnerability of senior citizens to increasingly sophisticated cyber frauds and calls for heightened awareness and preventive measures.
Police are investigating the matter, urging the public to remain vigilant against such scams, especially those involving impersonation of government officials and demands for urgent financial transactions. The 'digital arrest' tactic, where victims are psychologically trapped through fake legal threats, represents a new frontier in cybercrime that requires robust countermeasures from law enforcement agencies.
