A retired woman in Gujarat's Rajkot was kept under "digital arrest" for ten consecutive days by fraudsters posing as CBI officers, who eventually siphoned off Rs 78 lakh from her life savings. The scam, which leveraged extreme psychological pressure, has prompted a multi-state investigation by the Rajkot Cyber Crime Police.
The 10-Day Digital Siege
The ordeal began when the victim received a call from an individual claiming to be from a telecom company. The caller alleged that a SIM card registered in her name was being used to distribute obscene content, leading to a criminal complaint in Mumbai.
The case was quickly "transferred" to a fake CBI officer named "Vijay Patil," who appeared on video call wearing a police uniform. To heighten the terror, the fraudsters accused the woman of involvement in a high-profile money laundering and "cyber terrorism" case, threatened her with a 10-year prison sentence or life imprisonment and staged a fake courtroom environment with an actor posing as a judge to "verify" the charges.
For 10 days, the victim was forced to remain on camera 24/7 under "digital arrest." During this period, the scammers coerced her into liquidating her fixed deposits (FDs) and savings, transferring a total of Rs 78 lakh into multiple accounts. The scam was only unearthed when the woman, having run out of money, requested funds from her family.
Interstate "Mule" Network Identified
Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the defrauded amount was dispersed into "mule accounts" across Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. The police have successfully frozen four bank accounts and are currently tracking the mobile numbers used in the operation.
Retired Official Targeted via APK Scam
In a separate incident, 60-year-old Hitesh Dholakia, a retired work assistant from the District Panchayat, lost Rs 5.66 lakh to a sophisticated phishing attack.
A fraudster posing as an Axis Bank employee contacted Dholakia under the pretext of updating his KYC. The victim was persuaded to download an APK (Android Package Kit) file via WhatsApp, which allowed the attackers to gain remote access to his smartphone. Once in control, the criminals manipulated his banking app and diverted funds in multiple transactions.
The Rajkot Cyber Crime Police have registered both the cases and issued a stern warning to citizens, "Government agencies like the CBI or Police never conduct 'digital arrests' via video calls, nor do they ask for money to settle criminal cases. Additionally, users should never download APK files from unknown sources as they can grant hackers full control over their devices."
