78-year-old woman duped of ₹38 lakh, held under ‘digital arrest’ by cyber fraudsters posing as NIA

A 78-year-old woman from Indiranagar lost ₹38 lakh to cyber fraudsters who posed as officials from the National Investigative Agency (NIA) and kept her under “digital arrest” before forcing her to transfer money.

According to the complaint lodged at the East Division Cybercrime Police, the victim, a resident of Indiranagar, received a phone call on March 11 around 3 p.m. from a mobile number claiming that her documents had been misused in a money-laundering and pornography case.

The caller allegedly told her that a bank account had been opened in her name in Mumbai and that the account was used to fund terrorist activities. Claiming to be officials from a national security agency, the fraudsters warned her that she could be arrested and asked her to cooperate in an “inquiry”.

The accused then contacted her through a WhatsApp video call and threatened that the police could arrive to arrest her and that she might even be harmed. They also claimed that officers from the CBI and the Mumbai Crime Branch were monitoring her movements.

To convince her, the fraudsters sent documents purportedly related to financial transactions under the Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation and told her she was a suspect. They instructed her to follow what they called a “standard protocol”, which included staying on call with them and not contacting anyone for 72 hours.

The scammers further insisted that she confirm every two hours that she was safe and warned her not to speak with bank officials during the transaction process. On March 12 around 3 p.m., when the woman told them she was unwell and unable to continue the call, the accused allegedly threatened to arrest her immediately and freeze all her bank accounts and properties.

Under pressure, the victim went to her bank branch and transferred ₹38,00,000 via RTGS from her Axis Bank account to an ICICI Bank current account belonging to Sharvi Infotel Pvt. Ltd. The fraudsters had assured her that the money was being deposited for “RBI verification” and would be returned within 24 hours.

Realising later that she had been cheated, the woman approached the East Division Cyber Crime Police and lodged a complaint.

The police have registered a case and launched a probe.

Authorities have once again warned the public that no legitimate law enforcement agency conducts inquiries through video calls or asks citizens to transfer money as part of investigations.