CHANDIGARH, Dec. 11 — A 75-year-old retired Haryana government officer lost ₹85 lakh to cybercriminals who trapped him for more than a month in a digital arrest scam, police said on Wednesday. The complainant, who lives in the Modern Housing Complex in Manimajra, reported the fraud to the Cyber Crime Police Station after the scammers stopped responding.
According to the FIR, the ordeal began on Oct. 9 when a caller identifying himself as Vijay Pandit from the “Telephone Authority of India” accused him of opening a Delhi-based ICICI Bank account linked to money laundering. The caller warned that a criminal case was being prepared and then transferred him to others pretending to be senior officials.
The victim told police the callers introduced themselves as Rajesh Pradhan, Neeraj Thakur and Pardeep Singh, with Singh posing as a vigilance officer. Using multiple numbers, the group maintained “constant psychological pressure,” claiming he and his wife could be arrested unless he cooperated.
Police said the scammers convinced him he needed a so-called Priority Innocence Certificate to clear his name. “The accused shared forged documents appearing to be from RBI, courts and law enforcement to make the scheme look official,” an officer said.
Under fear of arrest, the retired official transferred ₹85 lakh between Oct. 16 and Nov. 11 from his and his wife’s accounts in Axis Bank, SBI and ICICI Bank to accounts provided by the fraudsters. He was told the money would be refunded after “RBI verification” within a week.
When the callers vanished and no money returned, he realised he had been duped. Police registered a case under BNS Sections 308, 319, 318 and 340. “The financial trail is being examined and the involved accounts may be frozen,” police said.
