New Delhi: Cases of digital arrest have been growing at an alarming rate in India. So much so that even the Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognizance and directed CBI to conduct nationwide investigation.
A recent case has shaken up Delhi and, indeed, the entire nation.
An elderly doctor couple living in south Delhi’s Greater Kailash was duped of Rs 14.85 crore after being kept under ‘digital arrest’ for more than two weeks.
The fraud allegedly took place between December 24 and January 9, when the accused impersonated officials from law enforcement agencies and forced the doctor couple to transfer large sums of money to multiple bank accounts, PTI reported citing police officials.
The cybercrime unit of Delhi Police has initiated a probe after an e-FIR was registered on Saturday.
Dr Om Taneja and his wife Dr Indira Taneja lived in the United States for four decades, serving with the United Nations. Since returning to India post retirement in 2015, they were associated with charitable work.
Recounting the ordeal, Dr Indira said: “On December 24, around noon, I received a call from someone claiming to be from TRAI, saying my number would be disconnected due to obscene calls and complaints.”
The 77-year-old doctor added that the caller accused her of money-laundering and claimed that an FIR and arrest warrants had been issued in Maharashtra. “They connected me to a man in a police uniform on a video call,” she said, adding that banners reading ‘Colaba police’ were visible behind the fraudsters, making their version seem believable.
According to her, the man on the video call alleged that a Canara Bank account in her name had been used in a major fraud linked to national security.
Police said the doctor couple’s children are settled abroad, which the scamsters exploited.
The cybercriminals continued to threaten them, forcing them to stay on continuous phone and video calls at a stretch for days.
“He said that since I was saying I had come from the US to serve India, this was a matter of national security. If I was involved in this, I would have to come to Mumbai and would be arrested,” Dr Indira narrated.
When she told the callers it wouldn’t be possible for them to travel as her husband was recovering from surgery at AIIMS, the accused suggested an alternative.
“They said there was another way. They said they would keep verifying me and would release me quickly. They said that just like bail, even during bail verification continues, and that they would fully release me after verification. But until then, verification was necessary,” she said.
The couple were instructed not to contact anyone during this period.
The fraud came to light after calls abruptly stopped on January 9. The couple then approached the authorities.
Police are making efforts to trace the bank accounts and individuals involved in the alleged scam.
