Noida ‘digital arrest’ scam: Lawyer duped of ₹3.29 cr, elderly man loses ₹49.5 lakh

Two elderly residents of Noida were defrauded of over ₹3.78 crore in separate incidents involving cybercriminals who posed as law enforcement officials and kept them under “digital arrest.” Complaints in both cases were filed at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Gautam Buddh Nagar on Tuesday.

In the first case, 72-year-old Hemantika Vahi, a lawyer, received a phone call on June 10, informing her that four bank accounts had been opened using her Aadhaar card. The caller claimed that these accounts were linked to gambling, blackmailing, and illegal weapon purchases, and directed her to contact another number. Upon doing so, Vahi was allegedly told she was involved in serious criminal activities.

According to the police, Vahi said she then received repeated phone calls from individuals claiming to be from a police station. She was asked to provide details of her bank deposits. She stated in her complaint that she was instructed to break her fixed deposits and was eventually defrauded of ₹3.29 crore over several days.

In the second case, 75-year-old Rajiv Kumar, a resident of Sector 29, received a call on his landline on June 18. The caller claimed four bank accounts had been opened using his Aadhaar and phone number, and that they were involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking, and money laundering linked to terrorist activities. The caller allegedly told him that his phone number would be deactivated within two hours.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime) Preeti Yadav, the accused convinced Kumar not to share any details with anyone and to remain with his wife during the entire period. Kumar was allegedly kept under digital arrest from June 18 to June 30 and was made to deposit ₹49.5 lakh into various accounts in three instalments. Investigations in both cases are currently ongoing.