Hyderabad Digital Arrest Scam: Pastor and Doctor Duped of Over Rs 30 Lakh by Fraudsters Posing as Law Enforcement
In a disturbing series of incidents in Hyderabad, fraudsters impersonating high-ranking law enforcement officials have successfully extorted more than Rs 30 lakh from two professionals through sophisticated digital arrest scams. The victims, a pastor and a doctor, fell prey to elaborate schemes involving fake arrest warrants, forged documents, and psychological manipulation.
Pastor Loses Rs 22.8 Lakh to Fake CBI and IPS Officers
The first case involves a 62-year-old pastor from Lalapet, who received a call on February 9 from an individual claiming to be CBI official Rahul Kumar Sharma from Bengaluru. The caller alleged that a First Information Report (FIR) had been registered against the pastor for sending abusive messages, and an arrest warrant had been issued.
Subsequently, another fraudster, identifying herself as IPS officer Archana Ramasundram, contacted the victim via WhatsApp while appearing in uniform. She presented forged documents, including a fake CBI case sheet and a counterfeit Supreme Court order targeting the pastor.
Exploiting the victim's fear, the criminal gang demanded a security deposit to delay the execution of the warrant. Between February 10 and 18, the pastor emptied his savings account, pawned gold jewelry, and took personal loans to transfer Rs 22.8 lakh in seven separate transactions to bank accounts provided by the accused.
The scam escalated when the fraudsters demanded an additional Rs 47 lakh. At this point, the pastor sought advice from friends and realized he had been deceived, prompting him to report the crime.
Doctor Extorted of Rs 12 Lakh in 48-Hour WhatsApp Monitoring Scam
In the second incident, a 39-year-old doctor from Punjagutta received a call on November 10 from a fraudster posing as a representative from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The caller falsely claimed that a SIM card issued in the doctor's name in Mumbai had been used for spamming and sending vulgar messages.
The call was then transferred to a man impersonating Mumbai cybercrime police officer Vikram Arora. The impostor ordered the doctor to remain on a continuous WhatsApp video call for 48 hours under the guise of 'monitoring' and threatened to freeze all his bank accounts as part of a fabricated money-laundering investigation.
Terrified by the threats, the victim transferred Rs 12 lakh to a bank account provided by the accused on November 15, 2025. After waiting for three months without any response from the fraudsters, the doctor finally approached the police with a formal complaint on Thursday.
Police Register Cases Under IT Act and BNS
Based on the detailed complaints filed by both victims, the Hyderabad cybercrime police have registered two separate cases under relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Authorities are investigating the bank accounts used in the transactions and pursuing leads to identify the perpetrators.
These incidents highlight the growing threat of digital arrest scams, where criminals use psychological tactics and forged credentials to exploit victims' fears. Law enforcement agencies urge the public to verify the identity of callers claiming to be officials and to report suspicious demands immediately.
