A 72-year-old retired public sector bank employee from Moga, Punjab, fell victim to a meticulously planned cyber fraud, losing a staggering Rs 43 lakh over a year after being placed under what investigators term a 'digital arrest'. The Moga Cyber Crime police station has registered a case against unidentified persons.
The Elaborate Web of Deception
The ordeal for Darshan Singh began in August 2024 when he received a call from a man posing as a customs official at Delhi airport. The fraudster claimed a parcel from Mumbai, containing passports and illegal drugs, had been intercepted and that Singh's mobile number was found on it. The caller threatened to hand the case over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) unless it was 'settled'.
Subsequently, Singh was connected to a person identifying himself as 'Yadav' from the CBI. Yadav confirmed the allegations and demanded details of all bank accounts, post office deposits, and other investments for 'verification'. He warned that non-compliance would result in an FIR and arrest warrants. When Darshan expressed his intention to approach the local police, the fraudsters threatened to tighten the noose, maintaining constant pressure through WhatsApp video calls.
Methodical Siphoning of Funds
"In one of the calls, they sought details of my property, mutual funds and shareholdings, claiming these had to be ‘verified' by the Reserve Bank of India to ensure no money was raised through hawala," Darshan Singh told TOI on Thursday. After he shared details of assets worth approximately Rs 43 lakh, they instructed him to transfer nearly Rs 14 lakh from his mutual funds and shares via RTGS.
Upon transferring the money, the fraudsters emailed him a notarised certificate within days, claiming the funds were 'realised and genuine'. "Seeing the certificate, I felt somewhat relieved," Singh admitted. However, the relief was short-lived. Learning that his son was in Canada and his wife and daughter were in the UK, and that he was scheduled to travel there in September 2024, the scammers demanded more money. They threatened to implicate his children in the fake drugs case if he did not comply.
The Final Realisation and Police Action
Even after Singh returned from the UK in December 2024, the fraudsters contacted him again, coercing him to transfer money from his three different bank accounts. The last transaction was of Rs 1 lakh in December 2024. They assured him the money would be returned in three months and finally asked him to contact phone number 1930—the national cyber crime helpline. It was only then that Darshan Singh realised he had been cheated and approached the Moga police.
Moga DSP Sukhamrit Randhawa confirmed that an FIR has been registered under sections 318(4) (fraud), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), and 66D of the IT Act (cheating by impersonation). The investigation is ongoing to trace the unidentified accused behind this sophisticated cyber scam.
This case highlights the evolving tactics of cyber criminals who use psychological pressure, impersonation of high-authority figures, and prolonged engagement to defraud victims, especially senior citizens. Authorities urge the public to verify any such claims directly with the concerned agencies and to immediately report suspicious calls to the helpline 1930.
