NEW DELHI: In a significant development, the CBI has taken over the investigation of two major “digital arrest” fraud cases reported in Gujarat last year. The scams involved financial losses of ₹19.2 crore and ₹11.4 crore, with the victims—all senior citizens—losing a combined ₹31 crore, among the largest amounts reported in such frauds.
Officials said the CBI’s economic offences unit has registered fresh FIRs in both cases. The investigations will be handled by specialised teams tasked with tracing the money trail and identifying the masterminds behind the scams. Last year, the Supreme Court had directed the CBI to undertake a broader investigation into such “digital arrest” frauds.
In the first case, dating back to March 2025, a 74-year-old retired doctor from Gandhinagar was defrauded of more than ₹19.2 crore through a highly orchestrated scheme.
According to investigators, scammers posing as officials from the Department of Telecommunications, police officers and public prosecutors contacted her on March 15, claiming she was implicated in a money-laundering case. They kept her under constant surveillance through video calls and pressured her into liquidating her assets.
The fraudsters persuaded her to break fixed deposits, sell her house and gold, and offload shares. They even issued fake “Financial Supervision” certificates on forged Enforcement Directorate letterheads to legitimise the transfers.
The so-called digital arrest continued until July 16, during which she was repeatedly assured that the money would be returned after “verification”. When the funds were not returned, she filed a complaint, leading to the registration of a case.
In the second case, fraudsters posing as officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and police officers targeted a retired professor living in Ahmedabad on June 10, 2025. They claimed that her Aadhaar details were linked to criminal activities.
The scammers kept the woman under pressure, instructing her to provide daily updates. On August 1, they asked her to involve her husband in the communication.
Using intimidation and threats, the fraudsters eventually forced the couple to transfer ₹11.4 crore from their bank accounts. The CBI is now investigating the case as part of its wider probe into digital arrest scams.
