An 82-year-old woman from Sector 10 fell victim to a digital arrest scam, losing Rs 2.5 crore to fraudsters impersonating government officials.
The scam began on May 3 when she received a phone call from someone pretending to be an official from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), falsely accusing her mobile number of being linked to illegal activities. Over the following days, she was contacted via WhatsApp and video calls by people posing as senior officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and even the Supreme Court.
To convince her, the scammers showed fake Supreme Court documents and arrest warrants, linking her name to a money laundering case involving Jet Airways CEO Naresh Goyal. Claiming she was under “digital surveillance,” they pressured her into taking a secrecy oath and demanded she transfer her money to a “secure government account” for verification. Over several days, she complied, ultimately losing Rs 2.5 crore.
In a separate case, two men, Sunny (40) and Vijay Kumar (43) from Nayagaon, Mohali, were arrested for cheating a city resident of over Rs 10 lakh through a fake online job scheme. The victim, from Sector 11, was lured via WhatsApp with part-time job offers. After completing small paid tasks, she was added to a Telegram group and persuaded to make larger payments, promised higher returns. She lost Rs 10.99 lakh in the process.
Police said Sunny received Rs 50,000 in his account, while Vijay helped connect Sunny to the scam network.
Authorities warn people to be cautious and verify any suspicious calls or messages to avoid falling prey to such frauds.
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