Kolkata: A 77-year-old resident of New Town was reportedly defrauded of Rs 53 lakh by cyber criminals who kept him under fake “digital arrest” after falsely accusing him of money laundering and anti-national activities.According to cops, the incident began on April 21 when the 77-year-old victim, a resident of a co-operative society in Action Area-I, received a phone call from an individual claiming to be Vijay Khanna, an Investigating Officer with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).Over the next few days and weeks, the elderly man was subjected to aggressive interrogation over video calls by several individuals. The fraudsters impersonated various senior law enforcement officers and even Supreme Court judges. Using intense intimidation and threats of immediate arrest, the scam artists forced the victim to disclose details of his bank accounts, fixed deposits, and other personal financial assets.Terrified by the legal threats and acting strictly under their orders, the victim was directed to transfer his funds to specific bank accounts for what the fraudsters called “official verification purposes.” In total, the senior citizen transferred Rs. 53,00,000 to the criminals before realizing he had been deceived.Following the realization, the victim filed an official complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting (NCCR) Portal. The Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police Station registered a formal case in the second week of July.The case has been filed under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including cheating, impersonation, and criminal conspiracy. Sub-Inspector Rafikul Laskar has been appointed as the Investigating Officer for the matter.Investigators highlighting the case pointed out a disturbing trend, noting that senior citizens are the victims in nearly all recent digital arrest scams. Police officers attribute this high vulnerability to a specific “generational trust in authority.”“Older adults respect and fear government institutions at the same time like the CBI or Customs,” a divisional police officer explained. “When they see a forged document bearing a national emblem, their first instinct is compliance rather than skepticism.”Officials added that digital isolation, combined with a lack of familiarity with modern payment systems like Virtual Payment Addresses (VPA) or Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), makes the elderly prime targets for the fear-psychosis used in these operations.In light of the rising cases, the Bidhannagar Police have issued an urgent advisory reminding the public that no law enforcement agency will ever demand money over a video call or ask for a security deposit to clear a citizen’s name. Authorities have strongly encouraged family members to closely monitor the digital activities of their elderly relatives.
