Lucknow: A 71-year-old retired engineer from the electricity department lost over Rs 1.17 crore in a months-long “digital arrest” scam, after fraudsters posing as officials from TRAI, CBI, RBI and even the judiciary coerced him into transferring money under the guise of legal scrutiny, police said.According to the FIR filed at the cyber crime police station, the Kalyanpur resident was first contacted on Dec 15, 2025, by a caller identifying himself as Sanjay Sharma from TRAI. The caller claimed that the victim was named in 17 money-laundering cases and cited a fake CBI complaint number. He was then instructed to call multiple numbers allegedly purportedly linked to Barakhamba Police Station in New Delhi. Upon contacting these numbers, the victim was threatened with arrest. The accused then asked him to submit a written declaration of innocence via WhatsApp. Over the next several weeks, the fraudsters gained extracted personal and financial details like Aadhaar, PAN, bank accounts, investments and property information. Subsequently, another accused posing as a “senior CBI officer” threatened to freeze his account, seize property and public defamation. Through a series of video calls, different individuals impersonated officials from investigative agencies, the RBI and courts, convincing the victim that he was under “digital surveillance” and legal scrutiny. Police said the victim was forced to make five major transactions between Jan 16 and Feb 27, 2026. These included Rs 50 lakh to an account in Patna, Rs 43 lakh to an account in Odisha; Rs 10 lakh to an account in Ghaziabad; Rs 10.4 lakh to an account in Rajasthan; and Rs 4.5 lakh to an account in Indore. Later, the accused declared the victim “innocent” and demanded a last payment for “bail clearance”. After receiving the final transfer, most of the fraudsters cut off contact. The victim realised the fraud with the help of his children and approached the police. He reported severe mental trauma. Officials said efforts are underway to trace the accused through bank accounts, transaction IDs, mobile numbers and digital communication records.
