AHMEDABAD: An elderly retired professional from Gujarat’s Vadodara City was allegedly forced into an 18-day "digital arrest" and cheated of Rs 1.47 crore by an organised gang that posed as top government officials.
Threats of a multi-crore money laundering case, forged legal documents and relentless video calls trapped the elderly victim in a web of fear until his daughter exposed the scam.
According to the complaint registered with the Vadodara Cyber Crime Police Station, the ordeal began on March 10, 2026, when the senior citizen, who had retired from a private company in 2024, received a call from an unknown number.
The caller introduced himself as "Manav Sharma", claiming to be an officer of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in New Delhi. The fraudster allegedly told the victim that an illegal mobile connection had been issued using his Aadhaar card and that the number was being used to circulate unlawful advertisements and suspicious messages.
Before the victim could recover from the shock, he was connected to another caller claiming to be from the Mumbai Crime Branch. Soon, the complainant received a WhatsApp video call from a man posing as CBI officer Vijay Prakash, who claimed that a bank account opened in the victim's name had been used for money laundering worth Rs 538 crore and several other illegal financial transactions.
The fake officer allegedly warned the senior citizen that he could face seven years in prison. He threatened him with an arrest warrant, property searches and complete destruction of his social reputation.
To make the deception appear authentic, the cyber gang reportedly sent forged FIR copies, fake CBI notices and fabricated Supreme Court documents.
One after another, different members of the syndicate appeared on video calls, introducing themselves as CBI officers, IPS officers, judges and lawyers.
Police said the fraudsters kept the elderly man under constant "digital arrest" from March 10 to March 27. Video calls were allegedly made every two hours, and both the victim and his wife were ordered to remain available at all times. They were repeatedly instructed not to disclose the matter to relatives, friends or anyone else.
Under continuous psychological pressure, the gang allegedly directed the senior citizen to liquidate his financial assets. He was told to break fixed deposits, insurance policies and other investments and transfer the money to his bank account before remitting it to accounts specified by the accused.
Following these instructions, the victim transferred more than Rs 1.40 crore from his SBI account through RTGS on March 19. On March 27, Rs 19 lakh was transferred to a different account, taking the total amount sent to the fraudsters to Rs 1.59 crore.
Even after receiving the huge sum, the accused allegedly demanded more money and asked the victim to break fixed deposits in other banks as well.
When bank officials noticed unusual transactions, they contacted the victim's daughter. After questioning her father, she uncovered the entire sequence of events and immediately realised that he had fallen victim to a sophisticated cyber fraud.
She informed him that there was no criminal case against him and urged him to report the matter on the national cybercrime helpline 1930 without delay.
Prompt action helped authorities freeze part of the transactions, resulting in the recovery of Rs 11.36 lakh. However, nearly Rs 1.47 crore remains unrecovered.
Based on the complaint, the Vadodara Cyber Crime Police have registered a case and launched a detailed investigation to trace the fraudsters and the money trail.