NEW DELHI: The CBI has registered a case in connection with the “digital arrest” of a 73-year-old retired engineer from Rohini who was allegedly cheated to the tune of 10 crore, officials said on Wednesday. Delhi police’s special cell was probing the case so far.
A group of cybercriminals posing as employees of a multinational courier company allegedly cheated the septuagenarian in October 2024. Based on his complaint, an FIR was filed by the Delhi Police’s cyber cell before further investigation was taken up by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations wing.
Police had managed to freeze Rs 60 lakh as the money was further distributed in several bank accounts. The cheating was reportedly carried out by callers from abroad, but their associates in India helped them obtain information about the target.
According to the complainant, he received a call regarding a parcel from Taiwan. The caller told him that the parcel, with his name on it, has been intercepted at the Mumbai airport. The caller further told him that the parcel contained banned drugs and that Mumbai Police Crime Branch officials would talk to him.
The victim was told to download Skype for a video call. He was kept on digital arrest for at least eight hours, and the accused allegedly forced him to transfer Rs 10.3 crore to separate accounts.
On being informed, his family approached the police in October, and the case under relevant legal provisions was registered. The accused threatened him that his two children who live abroad will also be targeted.