Fake CBI officers place couple under ‘digital arrest’, dupe them of Rs 38L

Times News NetworkChandigarh: Online cons in the guise of CBI officers convinced a couple that they had been placed under digital arrest and duped them of Rs 38 lakh. The accused threatened the victim with arrest in a false money laundering case, following which he transferred the money to the account specified. The cyber cell registered a case against unknown persons on the victim's statement.The victim, Krishna Chand, told the police that on January 7, 2026, at around 5.50pm, he received a call from an unknown number. The caller identified himself as a police official from Colaba Police Station, Mumbai and said his Aadhaar card had been used in a money laundering case. The accused claimed that if he did not cooperate, he would soon be arrested and his property would be confiscated.After this, the fraudsters, dressed in police uniforms, made contact via WhatsApp video call and sent arrest warrants along with other fake documents to the victim. The accused also made a video call to the victim's wife and threatened her with arrest. Later, another person called from a different mobile number and claimed to be the CBI director. He also threatened the victim and his wife. Under pressure, the victim transferred Rs 38 lakh from his bank account through RTGS via cheque from the home branch in Zirakpur, Punjab.The victim stated that from the evening of January 7 to the evening of January 8, the fraudsters continuously monitored them through phone and video calls and mentally harassed them. Later, when they realised the fraud, they filed a complaint at the Sector 17 Cyber Crime police station and provided transaction details and mobile numbers of the accused. After verifying facts, police registered a case against the unknown accused. Police appealed to people to be cautious of anyone claiming to be from the police, CBI, or any govt agency on unknown calls. They clarified that no govt agency threatens arrest through phone or video calls. In such cases, they asked people to immediately complain to the police or cyber helpline. MSID:: 126453391 413 |