A 67-year-old retired employee of the Ordnance Factory in Ambajhari, Nagpur, along with his family, fell victim to a sophisticated cyber fraud, losing a staggering Rs 1.4 crore. The criminals subjected the family to a terrifying 16-day 'digital arrest' using fabricated charges of terror funding and spreading obscenity to extort money.
The Ordeal Begins with a Fake Police Call
The nightmare for Prakash Kothekar, who retired as a junior executive manager in 2018, began on December 6. At 11:55 AM, he received a call from an individual identifying himself as 'Sahil'. The caller falsely claimed that a mobile number, which Kothekar denied owning, was involved in a case of spreading obscene material in Mumbai's Kurla area. Sahil then connected the call to a supposed official from the Data Protection Board of India, Manoj Kumar Sharma.
Soon after, Kothekar received a video call from a man aged 40-45, dressed in police uniform and posing as officer Pradeep Jaiswal. During this marathon call lasting over two and a half hours, the fraudster instructed Kothekar to show his Aadhaar card. The scammers then forced Kothekar to bring his wife, Swati, and son, Kaustubh, onto the call. They proceeded to demand exhaustive details of all family bank accounts, balances, savings, gold holdings, and sources of income.
Weaponising Fear with Forged Documents
Over the following days, the fraudsters escalated their psychological attack. They sent a barrage of forged documents via WhatsApp to legitimise their threats. This included a fake Mumbai crime branch complaint, images falsely linking Kothekar to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), and fabricated bank documents in his name.
They also sent counterfeit letters from the Supreme Court, arrest warrants from the Enforcement Directorate, and orders from the CBI. Accusing the family of money laundering and terror funding, the criminals formally declared them under 'digital arrest'. They were warned not to leave their home or contact anyone, effectively placing them under virtual house arrest through fear. The family was even coerced into giving written undertakings under this duress.
The Financial Drain and Eventual Realisation
On December 8, the impostors moved to the final stage: demanding money to 'clear' the family's name. Living in terror of arrest, the Kothekars complied. They made multiple RTGS transfers, draining their accounts of a total of Rs 1.4 crore. The money was sent to various beneficiary accounts, including those in the names of Tiyasha Das, Reliable Enterprises, Green Well International, Rahul Khinchi, Radhika Enterprises, Ashwin Mari, and Melodic Minds Pvt Ltd.
After each transaction, the scammers sent fake receipts purportedly from the Government of India via WhatsApp to maintain the illusion. The relentless video and voice calls stopped abruptly after December 22, with the fraudsters citing 'system downtime'. When they became unreachable, a suspicious Kothekar finally researched online, watched awareness videos on social media, and realised he had been defrauded.
He immediately approached the cyber police station in Nagpur and filed an FIR on Tuesday. The case has been registered under relevant sections for cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. Kothekar has informed investigators that he can identify the man who appeared on the video calls.
A Growing Menace and a Vital Warning
This harrowing incident underscores the severe threat posed by 'digital arrest' scams, where criminals exploit citizens' fear of law enforcement to extort large sums. The Nagpur cyber police have urged the public to exercise extreme caution. They advise verifying any such claims directly through official channels and reporting suspicious calls immediately without engaging with the fraudsters.
