- A 100-year-old man in Lucknow was digitally arrested and duped of Rs 1.29 crore
- Scammers posed as CBI officers and accused the man of money laundering
- The victim was forced to isolate and constantly stay on the phone
A 100-year-old man in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow was kept under 'digital arrest' for six days and duped of Rs 1.29 crore, police have found.
The incident took place last week when the man, identified as Hardev Singh - a retired Merchant Navy officer, got a call from an unknown number. When he picked up the call, the cyberfraudsters, posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers, accused him of being involved in a money laundering case. The scammers then put him under digital arrest and asked him for his bank details. He was also forced to isolate and stay constantly on the phone - unable to inform anyone about the incident.
Hours later, when Mr Singh's son reached home, he narrated the ordeal to him.
The son then spoke to the scammers who threatened him and asked him to send money to different bank accounts for "verification". They also assured to return the money back to the source account.
Scared, Mr Singh's son ended up paying Rs 1.29 crore in total to the cyberfraudsters.
However, when the money was not returned, Mr Singh's son registered a complaint on the national cyber-helpline: 1930
Based on the complaint, a case of cheating was filed at the Sarojini Nagar police station in Lucknow, officials said.
The police are investigating the incident on the basis of the mobile number provided by the victims, they added.
