A 72-year-old retired engineer residing in Rohini, Delhi, was defrauded of more than Rs 10 crore by conmen who held him under “digital arrest” for eight hours, the police reported on Thursday. The elaborate scam involved threats, impersonation, and the forced transfer of funds.
The victim, who lives with his wife in Sector 10, Rohini, was reportedly deceived following a call regarding a suspicious parcel originating from Taiwan.
The caller informed him that the parcel, allegedly in his name, had been intercepted at Mumbai airport for containing banned drugs. Claiming to be from the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, the caller stated that officials would contact him directly.
According to the complaint, the victim was instructed to download Skype for a video call. Once connected, he was kept “digitally detained” for at least eight hours, during which the fraudsters allegedly coerced him into transferring Rs 10.3 crore to various bank accounts.
Under duress, he complied with their demands, transferring the vast sum before finally alerting his family.
Upon learning of the incident, the victim’s family approached the Delhi Police in early October, leading to the registration of an FIR by the Cyber Cell, later transferred to the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) wing.
A prompt response allowed police to freeze Rs 60 lakh in funds before they could be further dispersed.
"It is suspected that the cheating was done by callers from abroad, with the aid of local associates who gathered details about the target," said a police officer. A team of Delhi Police and cyber experts is now focused on tracking the funds and tracing the suspects.
The victim further revealed that the perpetrators threatened his children—a son residing in Dubai and a daughter in Singapore—should he refuse to comply with their instructions. He had retired from a private company several years ago and led a quiet life until the shocking incident.
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