New Delhi: In a chilling case of cyber fraud, a 78-year-old retired officer in Delhi was subjected to a “digital arrest” for nine days, losing ₹2.19 crore of his lifetime savings to a gang of scammers. The perpetrators, posing as law enforcement officials, held the elderly man in constant fear and extracted large sums from him.
Scammers Posing as Police and Officials
The victim received a call in November from an unknown number. The caller, claiming to be Sumit Mishra from the Lucknow Police Headquarters, informed him about pending arrest warrants linked to a money-laundering case. Terrified, the victim complied with the scammers’ instructions, transferring funds repeatedly between 26 November and 4 December.
During the fraud, the scammers alternated their identities, posing as a CBI officer at times and as a senior Supreme Court advocate at others, to heighten the victim’s fear and ensure compliance. The victim was confined to his residence, barred from contacting anyone, and coerced into transferring money to multiple accounts, amounting to ₹2,19,18,000.
Accused from MP and UP
Investigations revealed five accused from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh:
- Deepesh Patidar (Bardwani, MP) – runs an electronics repair shop
- Anshul Rathore (Bardwani, MP) – provides music systems for events
- Shyam Babu Gupta (Hamirpur, UP) – operates a plastic plate manufacturing unit in Jhansi
- Raghavendra Verma (Jhansi, UP) – graduate, runs a bike accessories shop
- Devesh Singh (Jhansi, UP) – diploma holder, admitted to B.Tech
The gang purchased an international number through a Facebook ad to further deceive the victim. Authorities recovered several rubber stamps of different firms, checkbooks, seven mobile phones, 20 debit cards from multiple banks, and copies of Aadhaar cards from the accused.
Arrests and Investigation
The IFSO (Indian Financial Security Organisation) displayed swift action, arresting five suspects from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. During raids in Jabalpur, Indore, Prayagraj, Jhansi, and Lucknow, three accused – Shyam Babu Gupta, Raghavendra Verma, and Devesh Singh – were apprehended from a hotel in Lucknow. They had used mule bank accounts to deposit the defrauded money across multiple accounts.
Interrogations revealed that the gang operated as a syndicate, impersonating police officers, CBI and customs officials, and other government authorities to exploit their victims.
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