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Hyderabad family loses Rs 5.5 crore after being in 17-day Digital Arrest: ‘Aadhaar, drugs and more’ used to dupe them – ET CISO
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A Hyderabad family has become the victim of a sophisticated online scam, losing a huge sum of Rs 5.5 crore after being subjected to a 17-day long “digital arrest.”
How the scam took place
The ordeal began on November 13th when Bharati Bai Agarwal, a 67-year-old resident of Basheerbagh, received a call from a man identifying himself as Rahul Kumar from the Department of Telecommunications (TRAI). He falsely claimed that Agarwal’s Aadhaar card linked phone number was implicated in money laundering and drug trafficking cases.
The call was then transferred to two individuals posing as CBI officers, Saurav Sharma and Ajay Gupta. These fraudsters instructed Agarwal to connect with them on Skype, where they informed the family they were under “digital arrest” and subject to video and audio surveillance.
The scammers demanded bank details, forcing the family to transfer funds under the pretext of verifying financial transactions. Bharati was instructed to provide fabricated reasons, such as purchasing property or charity work, when questioned by bank officials about large transactions. She transferred 5.5 crore through multiple transactions. They were constantly bombarded with threats and pressured into transferring money to “clear their names.”
On December 8th, Bharati Bai Agarwal approached the CBI office in Sultan Bazar with documents provided by the scammers, hoping to recover the lost money. However, she was shocked to learn that the documents were fraudulent. This realization confirmed that she had been the victim of a sophisticated scam.
Subsequently, the family filed a complaint with the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB). An FIR was registered under relevant sections of the IT Act and the Indian Penal Code. Inspector R Venkatesh, leading the investigation, believes that the scam was orchestrated by an organized group posing as officials from national agencies. The police are currently tracing the flow of funds to identify and apprehend the culprits.
