AHMEDABAD: In a cyber fraud mirroring the recent Rs 19 crore scam in Gandhinagar, a retired forest head clerk from Gujarat’s Rajkot, has fallen prey to a “digital arrest” con and lost Rs 8.93 lakh. Posing as officials from TRAI and Maharashtra Cyber Crime, the scammers extorted money from the elderly man by threatening him with criminal charges and arrest.
The victim, a former Forest Head Clerk at Bahumali Bhavan, lives near Patidar Chowk in Rajkot. On November 28, 2024, he received a call from a woman identifying herself as Diya Sharma from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). She claimed that two Jio SIM cards linked to his number were being misused and needed to be deactivated immediately.
Minutes later, a second call came, this time from someone posing as Inspector Mohit Handa from the Maharashtra Cyber Crime Cell. The caller alleged that an HDFC Bank account had been opened using the victim’s Aadhaar-linked SIM, through which Rs 68 lakh had been fraudulently transacted. The scammer claimed the money belonged to a woman who had since died by suicide and that an arrest warrant had been issued against the retired clerk.
As the victim hesitated, the imposter escalated the pressure. Through a video call, he showed a man in police uniform seated at what appeared to be a police station and claimed the only way to avoid arrest was to provide a security bond of Rs 2 lakh. Terrified, the retired official agreed to cooperate.
The accused then shared a WhatsApp link during the video call. Following the instructions, the victim unknowingly transferred Rs 8.93 lakh via UPI in multiple transactions to different bank accounts.
Realising he had been duped, the victim immediately contacted the cybercrime helpline 1930 and filed a complaint with the Rajkot City Cyber Crime Police Station. The police have launched an investigation using phone numbers, video call metadata, and other digital traces.
The FIR names multiple unknown account holders under charges of cheating and breach of trust. Investigators believe the fraud is linked to a larger inter-state racket exploiting fear and authority to extort money under the guise of “digital arrests.”
Recently, a woman doctor in Gujarat was digitally trapped and defrauded of Rs 19 crore by cybercriminals who pressured her over months with threats and surveillance. The fraudsters made her transfer money into 35 accounts, even taking a loan against her gold. Realising the scam too late, she alerted her family, prompting a CID Cyber Crime probe on July 16. One suspect has been arrested in Surat; a massive manhunt is on for the rest of the syndicate.
With similar high-stake scams emerging across Gujarat, police have issued fresh advisories urging citizens to remain vigilant against fake officials and to never share sensitive information or make payments under threat.