A seventy five year old retired journalist from Nagpur experienced seven days of fear and control after falling victim to cybercriminals posing as police officials. The scam started with what appeared to be an ordinary WhatsApp call that showed the logo of the Data Protection Board of India.
He said he first ignored the call but later answered it because he believed it could be official. The caller then claimed that obscene messages were being sent from his number and that twenty complaints had been made against him. Soon after, another man joined through a video call. He wore a police uniform and stood in front of a Maharashtra Police background. He said that he was calling from Nashik Headquarters.
The impersonator accused the journalist of involvement in a two crore and fifty lakh rupee transaction linked to the banned PFI. He showed what looked like an official identity card, a complaint document, and even displayed an ATM card with the journalist’s name and Aadhaar number. The victim said he became very scared.
The criminals ordered him to reveal his home through a video call, submit personal documents, and close his postal savings account. Journalist then transferred the money to another account as instructed. They also asked for blank RTGS forms and warned him not to tell anyone.
They contacted him every two hours through video calls. He said he could not sleep or eat because he felt trapped and constantly watched.
Journalist later shared his story after reading a report that two hundred eighteen people in Maharashtra lost more than one hundred twelve crore rupees to similar scams between January and August twenty twenty five.
The truth came out only when he told a banker relative, who immediately recognised the fraud and stopped the transaction in time. Although he did not lose his main savings, he said he lost seventy thousand rupees in interest after closing his deposit.
He said the scammer mocked him when confronted by his son. The scammer said, “Tumhara paisa to gaya na, interest to gaya na”. The retired journalist said he felt humiliated and emotionally broken.
The report also said that the cyber police refused to register a complaint. They told him, “Aapka paisa to nahi gaya na”, which made him feel his suffering was ignored.
Journalist’s experience highlights the growing danger of digital arrest frauds that target elderly and educated people by using fear and fake authority.
He said it was the worst week of his life. “I did not lose money but I lost my peace, my trust, and my sleep.”
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