New Delhi: Delhi Police rescued elderly victims from prolonged “digital arrest” scams, preventing cyber fraudsters from siphoning off Rs 1.5 crore across five states by tracing suspicious bank transactions.Four senior citizens living alone were among the five victims across Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat rescued from “digital arrest” video call threats by the IFSO’s Financial Monitoring Cell, according to DCP Anyesh Roy.An investigation began after a retired military officer from Sagar Pur filed an e-FIR on Sept 29. Fraudsters posing as Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) officers and a Daryaganj IPS officer threatened him with arrest in a fake money laundering case involving his Aadhaar card, forcing him to transfer large sums of money.Police traced the funds to a mule account in Hyderabad, discovering transfers from five other victims between Sept 21 and 29.In Delhi, the team found that Rs 25 lakh transferred by a 77-year-old retired Airports Authority of India employee from Najafgarh on Sept 29 had reached the account. Initially distrustful, the man was convinced after the police team shared awareness videos and urged him to verify their identities through the national cybercrime helpline, leading to coordination with banks and the Dwarka cyber police station to secure his remaining assets. An 80-year-old Rajasthan cloth trader and his wife were saved from losing another Rs 10 lakh after fraudsters, who had already scammed them of Rs 18 lakh, pressured the couple to mortgage their house over fake Aadhaar-linked illegal activity. The team halted the transaction by connecting the couple to Rajasthan’s 1930 helpline to register an official complaint.. A retired couple paid Rs 52 lakh after being told their Aadhaar was linked to a blast in Jammu & Kashmir, while a Maharashtra hospital assistant was swindled out of Rs 85 lakh during a 15-day digital arrest.
