Bengaluru, NOV 17: A 57-year-old woman in Bengaluru allegedly lost nearly ₹32 crore in an elaborate “digital arrest” scam that unfolded over six months, with fraudsters posing as CBI officers and keeping her under continuous Skype monitoring. A case has now been registered.
According to her complaint, the ordeal began on September 15, 2024, when she received a call from someone claiming to be from DHL Andheri, alleging that a parcel in her name contained credit cards, passports and MDMA. Before she could respond, the call was transferred to individuals posing as CBI officials, who told her “all evidence is against you”.
Fearing arrest, the Indiranagar-based software engineer complied with their instructions. She was warned not to contact the police, with the scammers claiming criminals were watching her home. Worried about her family and her son’s upcoming wedding, she remained silent.
She was told to install two Skype IDs and remain on video at all times. A man identifying himself as Mohit Handa monitored her for two days, followed by another, Rahul Yadav, for a week. A third impersonator, Pradeep Singh, posed as a senior CBI officer and pressured her to “prove her innocence”.
The group appeared to know her phone activity and movement, heightening her fear. They instructed her to verify all her assets with the Financial Intelligence Unit of the RBI and sent forged letters to make the operation seem official.
Between September 24 and October 22, she shared extensive financial details and began transferring money. From October 24 to November 3, she deposited what they called a “surety amount” of ₹2 crore, followed by more payments for “taxes”.
She was promised a clearance letter before her son’s engagement on December 6, and received a fake one. The prolonged harassment left her mentally and physically unwell.
The scammers told her that her money would be refunded by February 25, and later demanded additional “processing charges”, pushing deadlines to February and then March. All communication stopped on March 26, 2025.
The woman waited until after her son’s wedding in June to file a complaint.
“In total, through 187 transactions, I stand deprived of approximately ₹31.83 crore,” she stated, urging authorities to investigate the entire operation.
