Chandigarh, July 18: An 89-year-old retired school teacher from Sector 34-D lost her entire life savings—₹77.42 lakh—after being trapped in an elaborate cyber fraud executed by conmen posing as officials from the Mumbai crime branch and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The fraud, which played out over four harrowing days between July 10 and 14, involved sustained psychological manipulation, fake legal documents, and continuous surveillance via WhatsApp video calls.
The victim, a widow, received the initial call from a mobile number on July 10. The caller claimed to be a Mumbai crime branch officer investigating a money laundering case involving Jet Airways CEO Naresh Goyal. She was falsely told her Aadhaar card had been misused to purchase SIM cards and open bank accounts in Mumbai, allegedly linked to the probe.
“They said an FIR had been registered against me and I would be arrested,” the victim later told police. The scammers then connected her via WhatsApp video to two men—introduced as SHO Vijay Khanna and Investigating Officer Vishal Gupta—both wearing police uniforms.
They showed her forged documents, including an arrest warrant, a Supreme Court order, and a petition to the Chief Justice of India, all fabricated to convince her that she was under investigation.
From that point on, the woman remained under their constant virtual watch. “They kept me on WhatsApp calls from morning till night, for four days. I wasn’t allowed to speak to anyone. They told me to transfer all my money into court-monitored ‘secret supervision accounts’ and swear not to reveal anything,” she wrote in her complaint to the Chandigarh Cyber Crime Police Station.
Fearing arrest and threats that “Naresh Goyal could harm her family,” she made four RTGS transfers from her savings and fixed deposit accounts, amounting to ₹77.42 lakh.
The crime came to light when she reported the incident on July 14, after the calls stopped and she began to realize she had been manipulated.
“This is among the most serious forms of digital coercion we’ve seen,” a senior cyber crime officer said. “The elderly are particularly vulnerable to such tactics. These criminals simulate an entire legal and investigative setup to induce fear and compliance.”
A case has been registered under Sections 308, 319(2), 318(4), 336(3), 338, 340(2), and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Investigators are tracking the accounts where the money was transferred and have issued alerts to multiple banks.
Police have also urged the public to remain vigilant against such scams. “No genuine law enforcement agency will ever ask you to transfer money or conduct an investigation over WhatsApp video,” the advisory said.
