CHANDIGARH, June 3: A senior citizen from Sector 10-A has lost nearly ₹2.5 crore to a sophisticated digital scam in which fraudsters impersonated senior officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and even the Supreme Court of India.
This incident comes weeks after 82-year-old Col Dalip Singh Bajwa (retd) was similarly conned out of ₹3.41 crore by scammers posing as Enforcement Directorate officials in April.
According to the latest complaint filed with the cyber police station in Sector 17, the fraud began on May 3, when the woman received a call from a man claiming to be a TRAI official. He alleged her phone number had been linked to criminal activity and warned her of an imminent FIR (MH 5621/0225) and deactivation of her number unless she cooperated.
The call was soon transferred to someone who identified himself as Arvind Sharma. He warned of severe legal action and said a police officer would be in touch shortly. Minutes later, the woman received a WhatsApp call from a man calling himself Vijay Khanna, who introduced himself as the “investigating officer.” She was then added to a group video call that included six others—among them a person claiming to be Raj Ranjan, described as a deputy inspector general and chief investigating officer of the CBI.
During the call, the scammers presented her with forged documents, including an arrest warrant and what they said was evidence linking her to a money laundering case involving Jet Airways CEO Naresh Goyal. They also claimed a bank account had been illegally opened in her name at Canara Bank, Mumbai.
To create an illusion of legitimacy, they showed her forged Supreme Court documents and coerced her into signing a fake “confidentiality agreement.” She was pressured to swear an oath of secrecy, ostensibly to protect the integrity of an ongoing “CBI investigation.”
“The pressure was relentless,” said an investigator familiar with the case. “They had her convinced she was under constant digital surveillance and threatened to freeze all her assets if she disobeyed their instructions.”
On May 4, the scammers escalated their tactics, demanding full disclosure of her financial holdings—including bank accounts, mutual funds, and insurance details. She was told to keep her phone on at all times and follow precise instructions.
The following day, she was added to another group video call, this time featuring a man pretending to be the Chief Justice of India. A fraudulent Supreme Court order was shown to her, allegedly instructing the transfer of her funds to a “secret supervision account” within 48 hours. She was also shown a fake petition calling for the attachment of her assets.
In the days that followed, the scammers dictated every step she took—guiding her on how to behave at her bank and in public. Believing she was under surveillance and fearing arrest, she followed every instruction and ultimately transferred ₹2.47 crore to accounts controlled by the fraudsters.
Police have launched a formal investigation and are tracking digital footprints to trace the culprits. A senior official with the cyber police stated, “These scams are increasingly elaborate and target the most vulnerable, often leaving them emotionally and financially devastated.”
This marks the second such high-value scam targeting a senior citizen in Chandigarh in recent weeks, raising concerns about the growing reach and sophistication of cyber fraud rings.
