Fake Pahalgam case traps duo in four-month digital arrest in Hyderabad

Fraudsters cited details about the family, including the grandson’s US stay and daughter’s commute, and threatened to frame the grandson in a drug case.

The ordeal began on April 9, when the retired employee received a call from a person claiming to represent a private bank.  (Representative image)

HYDERABAD: A 71-year-old retired SBI employee and his wife from Malakpet lost Rs 64 lakh after fraudsters allegedly kept them under digital arrest for more than four months, claiming he was linked to the Pahalgam attack case.

The ordeal began on April 9, when the retired employee received a call from a person claiming to represent a private bank. The caller told him that Rs 1.06 lakh was outstanding on a credit card allegedly issued in his name in Mumbai. He later received more calls informing him that a criminal case had been registered against him.

He was then connected via WhatsApp video call to a man posing as an IPS officer, who claimed that the victim’s name had surfaced in the Pahalgam attack case involving one Sandeep Kumar.

The fraudsters appeared to have access to detailed information about the family.

They referred to the victim’s grandson living in the US and his daughter’s daily commute, and threatened to implicate the grandson in a drug case if the couple failed to cooperate.

Fearing for their family, the couple followed the instructions. On April 10, the victim transferred Rs 2 lakh.

The fraudsters kept him on frequent calls and video calls, monitoring his movements and even asking who had visited the house.

They demanded another Rs 8 lakh on April 15 and continued to pressure him for money. When he told them he had no funds left, they allegedly forced him to raise money through pension and gold loans and other borrowings.

The fraudsters later claimed that he was involved in a money-laundering case and alleged that he owned a property in Narapally. They pressured him to sell it and transfer the proceeds. The victim said the property was worth more than Rs 1 crore, but he was forced to sell it for around Rs 75 lakh. The registration was completed on August 19.

The couple remained under the fraudsters’ control until August 22. The victim later read a newspaper report about digital arrest scams and realised that he had been duped.

He approached the Hyderabad Cybercrime police, who registered a case and launched an investigation.