"You Funded Red Fort Blast": Elderly Couple In 'Digital Arrest' Lose Rs 30 Lakh

In a shocking case of cyber fraud in Delhi, fraudsters posing as NIA and ATS officers kept a 74-year-old retired railway employee and his wife under 'digital arrest' for nearly seven days and duped them of Rs 30 lakh.

The scammers intimidated the elderly man by claiming his bank account had been used to fund the accused involved in last year's Red Fort blast. Terrified, the couple transferred Rs 30 lakh from their life savings into the fraudsters' accounts.

According to police, the incident dates back to November 23 last year. The elderly man, a resident of Dwarka, was preparing to attend a relative's wedding when he received a call around 4 pm. The caller identified himself as an NIA officer and claimed that investigations had revealed the man had provided funds for the Red Fort blast and that his bank account had been used to finance terrorists.

Seven-Day Digital Arrest Ordeal

Since the call came just days after the car blast near the Red Fort on November 10, the elderly man was alarmed and frightened, he later told police.

The next day, the fraudsters initiated a video call. One accused identified himself as an NIA officer, while the other claimed to be an ATS officer. They told the victim he was under investigation and that his bank account had been linked to blast accused Umar Nabi and others. They threatened him with arrest if he failed to cooperate.

Then began a seven-day 'digital arrest' ordeal, during which the fraudsters kept the elderly couple under constant surveillance via phone and video calls. They were forbidden from speaking to anyone - or even informing their children.

The accused also sent a fake 'Confidentiality Agreement' via WhatsApp, which the elderly man was made to sign. The fraudsters then sought full details of the couple's bank accounts, fixed deposits and other assets. After a few days, they assured the couple that the "investigation" was nearly complete and that they needed to verify the source of their funds.

Fake RBI Letter, Rs 30 Lakh Transfer

He was asked to transfer the money to an "RBI-approved" account, with the assurance that the entire amount would be refunded once verification was complete.

On December 3, the elderly man liquidated his fixed deposit and withdrew Rs 30 lakh. He first transferred Rs 15 lakh via RTGS to the account specified by the fraudsters. The next day, they demanded another Rs 15 lakh, which was transferred. He was then sent a fake 'Verification Letter' purportedly from the RBI, bearing the Governor's seal.

Shortly after, the fraudsters stopped taking his calls, and he realised he had been scammed.

Following the complaint, the investigation was handed over to the Crime Branch. Police began tracing the money trail and got a crucial lead after about six months.

How Police Cracked The Case

In May, they traced one of the RTGS transactions to the bank account of a company named 'Shri Balaji Tractor', held in the name of Sunil Singla.

The investigation further revealed that Singla's account had been used in multiple cyber fraud cases. According to police, transactions worth almost Rs 1 crore across more than six cases had been routed through this account.

Singla, a resident of Fatehabad in Haryana, had previously been arrested in connection with a cyber fraud case. Police arrested him on May 11. During interrogation, he revealed that he had been looking for an online loan to expand his business and was offered commission by an individual in exchange for facilitating large transactions through his bank account.

In a major breakthrough, police managed to block the onward transfer of one tranche of Rs 15 lakh sent by the victim. Rs 12 lakh was recovered and returned to the victim.

Police said this case highlights how cyber fraudsters are now using major, high-profile crimes to intimidate people. By posing as police officers or issuing fake court notices and invoking agencies like the NIA or ATS with threats of arrest, they are exploiting fear to extort money.