A routine medical visit turned into a prolonged nightmare for a retired engineer and his wife, who were allegedly kept under virtual confinement for 69 days by cyber fraudsters posing as senior law enforcement officials.
The victim, Ramesh Chandra, a former superintendent engineer with Kanpur Electricity Supply Company, undergoes dialysis 2 times a week. According to the police complaint, the ordeal started on October 3, when he received a phone call accusing him of misusing a SIM card linked to his Aadhaar to harass a 19-year-old woman in Mumbai, who was later claimed to have died by suicide.
Soon after, Chandra began receiving repeated calls from different numbers. Once he returned home, a video call followed from a man claiming to be from Colaba police station. Another caller later introduced himself as a CBI officer and alleged that Chandra was linked to the ₹538 crore Jet Airways money laundering case.
The cyber fraudsters threatened arrest, jail time in Mumbai, and action against his wife and sons, one based in the United States and another in Noida. When Chandra informed them about his medical condition, they imposed what they called a “home-based digital arrest,” instructing him not to leave the house except for dialysis.
The callers falsely claimed his bank accounts, PPF, mutual funds, shares and lockers were frozen. They also asserted that the probe was being monitored by the Supreme Court of India and the Reserve Bank of India.
Under continuous pressure, the couple transferred money in stages. On October 4, ₹15.31 lakh was sent from PPF and savings. On October 9, ₹20 lakh was transferred. On November 21, ₹23 lakh was sent via RTGS. On December 11, another ₹10 lakh was paid as so-called bail security. In total, ₹53 lakh was extorted.
For 69 days, video calls allegedly remained active almost nonstop, even during dialysis sessions. If the internet failed, Chandra was asked to send photographs. The cyber fraudsters used abusive language and threats to stop the couple from contacting anyone.
Cyber police said fake CBI offices and courtrooms were staged on video calls to appear legitimate. After the calls suddenly stopped on December 11 and no documents were received, the victim approached the police.
An FIR has been registered at Kohna police station. DCP Central S.K. Singh said, “We are examining bank transactions, IP addresses and communication platforms used by the accused.” Cyber police warned that digital arrest scams are increasingly targeting elderly and medically vulnerable citizens.
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