Chandigarh's elderly woman loses Rs 2.5 crore in digital arrest fraud

Another senior citizen has fallen prey to a digital arrest fraud, losing Rs 2.5 crore to swindlers posing as officials from various government organisations.

The victim, an 82-year-old woman resident of Sector 10, had on May 3 received a phone call from someone posing as an official from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), falsely claiming her mobile number was linked to illegal activity. Over the following days, the victim was contacted via WhatsApp and video calls by individuals impersonating senior officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and even the Supreme Court.

To make their story appear credible, the accused showed her forged Supreme Court documents and arrest warrants, alleging her name was linked to a money laundering case involving Jet Airways CEO Naresh Goyal.

Claiming she was under “digital surveillance”, they pressured her into a secrecy oath and demanded she transfer her funds to a “secure government account” for verification. Over several days, she complied, ultimately losing Rs 2.5 crore.

In a separate incident, two individuals were arrested for cheating another city resident of over Rs10 lakh through a fraudulent online job scheme. The police arrested Sunny, 40, and Vijay Kumar, 43, both residents of Nayagaon, Mohali.

The complainant, a resident of Sector 11, reported being lured via WhatsApp with offers of part-time work. After completing small paid tasks, she was added to a Telegram group and convinced to make larger payments with the promise of higher returns. She eventually lost Rs 10.99 lakh.

The police said Sunny had received Rs 50,000 in his account. Vijay facilitated the fraud by connecting Sunny to the network of scammers.