A 75-year-old, retired sub-registrar in Gwalior became the latest victim of a sophisticated cyber scam known as a digital arrest, losing ₹1.12 crore over 31 days. Bihari Lal Gupta from Old Khedapati Colony was targeted by fraudsters posing as CBI and IPS officers. The scammers threatened him with money laundering charges linked to a fake hawala bust and coerced him into transferring funds from his and his wife’s mutual fund accounts via RTGS. The scam only came to light when a viral awareness video resembling his ordeal appeared on his phone, prompting him to approach the local police. The crime branch has now launched a full-scale investigation to track the gang behind one of Gwalior’s biggest digital heists of 2026.
The scam began with a call from a person claiming to be a TRAI official who warned Gupta that his Aadhaar and mobile number would be blocked due to suspicious activity. Soon after, a WhatsApp video call came from someone claiming to be IPS, Neeraj Thakur in police uniform, alleging Gupta’s ICICI account had been used in a major money laundering case involving a hawaladar named Sandeep Kumar. The fraudsters interrogated Gupta about his family assets and balances and offered him a so-called pre-investigation process to avoid arrest if he complied. Terrified of jail and public embarrassment, Gupta followed their instructions, effectively falling into the trap of a digital arrest, isolated at home and forbidden from contacting his family.
Over the next month the scammers escalated their threats and manipulated Gupta into providing every financial detail. They drained ₹60 lakh from his mutual funds and ₹52 lakh from his wife’s, transferring the money to four different accounts in staggered instalments. The fraudsters used fake police dashboards and constant video calls to maintain the illusion of a legitimate investigation. This method reflects the growing trend of digital arrest scams, which accounted for over 10,000 cases nationwide in 2025 and netted ₹5,000 crore according to government data.
The reality hit Gupta when he saw a social media video showing identical tactics. He immediately went to SSP, Dharamveer Singh and recounted the full ordeal. Police have registered an FIR under the IT Act and cheating provisions and are tracing call logs, IP addresses and bank transfers. Gwalior alone recorded over 500 digital arrest scams last year with seniors losing 60% of total amounts. Officials warn that such scams often target post-retirement isolation and urge people to hang up, take screenshots and report to cybercrime.gov.in, noting that frozen accounts can recover up to 20% of stolen funds.
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