Madhya Pradesh's Elderly Couple Loses ₹50 Lakh In 13-Day Digital Arrest; Cyber Crooks Posed As DSP, Forced Them To Break FD

Khandwa (Madhya Pradesh): An elderly couple lost Rs 50 lakh in a 13-day digital arrested in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa. The accused cyber fraudsters trapped the couple by posing as DSP.

The criminals forced the couple to break their fixed deposits and later took an extra ₹70,000 in the name of bail.

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How were they trapped?

According to information, the couple, who run a utensils shop and live alone, received a call on July 18 from a man posing as a police officer from Mumbai’s Colaba police station.

He claimed that their mobile number was linked to murder, kidnapping, and fraud cases. The caller ordered them not to leave the house or answer any other calls.

The fraudsters made video calls showing people in police uniforms and a fake police station background. On July 21, they forced the couple to break an FD of ₹30 lakh and transfer the money.

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On July 25, they made them break another FD of ₹19.5 lakh, asking them to tell the bank it was for property purchase. The money was sent to accounts in Hyderabad and Chandigarh.

Later, a man posing as a DSP took ₹50,000 on July 27 and ₹20,000 on July 31 as “bail money.”

Out of fear, the couple did not share their ordeal with anyone until August 16, when the woman told her brother during Janmashtami. The family then reported the matter to the cyber helpline 1930.

Khandwa Cyber Cell in-charge Inspector Praveen Arya confirmed that a complaint has been filed and investigation is underway.

Similar incidents in Khandwa

This is not the first case of digital arrest in Khandwa. Earlier, on November 10, 2024, fraudsters kept a nurse from the district hospital under “digital arrest” for 21 hours by threatening her with false drug trafficking charges.