Despite Repeated Warnings, ‘Digital Arrest’ Scams Continue to Trap the Elderly, Draining Crores in Plain Sight

Even as media reports, police advisories and public campaigns repeatedly warn citizens against falling prey to cyber fraud, criminals continue to exploit fear and authority to devastating effect.

The latest cases from South Delhi’s upscale Greater Kailash underline a disturbing reality: awareness alone has not been enough to stop the fraudsters.

Just two days after a 70-year-old woman was allegedly cheated of ₹6.9 crore through a week-long “digital arrest,” Delhi Police have identified three key bank accounts used to route the stolen money.

The accounts, traced to Kolkata, Delhi and Chhattisgarh, were used as the first layer in a sprawling money-laundering chain.

Of the total defrauded amount, ₹2.89 crore has been frozen, but investigators admit that most of the money is already beyond the reach of the formal banking system.

The victim, Meenakshi Ahuja, a resident of W Block, GK-1, was contacted on January 6 by callers posing as officials from the Mumbai Police and the Enforcement Directorate.

She was told that a mobile number registered in her name had allegedly been used for illegal activities and that she was under investigation.

What followed was a classic case of psychological coercion: isolation, constant monitoring over video calls, and repeated warnings not to speak to anyone.

Under this sustained pressure, Ahuja transferred ₹4 crore on January 9, followed by two more transactions of ₹1.3 crore and ₹1.16 crore.

Police say the first transfer landed in a Chhattisgarh account, while the latter two were routed through Kolkata and Delhi.

By the time the fraud came to light, much of the money had already been split and moved through over 1,000 mule accounts across the country.

This was not an isolated incident.

Just days earlier, another case from the same locality shocked investigators.

An elderly couple — Om Taneja (81) and Indira Taneja (77) from GK-2 — were allegedly cheated of ₹14.85 crore after being held under a two-week digital arrest.

Eight RTGS transfers were made while the couple believed they were complying with police instructions to “prove their innocence.”

Senior officers now believe that no more than ₹2–2.5 crore from that case remains within Indian banking channels.

Around ₹1.9 crore has been traced so far across multiple mule account chains, with frozen funds linked to accounts in Vadodara and Uttarakhand.

Investigators paint a grim picture of how quickly money vanishes once transferred.

Initial deposits are immediately fragmented and routed through dozens of accounts before being pushed out of the country using cryptocurrency wallets, hawala networks, and foreign exchanges.

Cambodia and Dubai have emerged as frequent end destinations in recent cases.

“The longer a victim stays under digital arrest, the higher the losses,” a cybercrime officer said. “Victims often transfer money in instalments over several days.

By the time they realise it’s a scam or approach the police, the first transactions are already gone.”

What makes these crimes particularly difficult to crack is the structure of the operation. Mule account holders — often poor, unemployed or digitally illiterate individuals — are paid commissions to move funds but rarely know who is orchestrating the fraud.

Callers, too, operate under layers of anonymity, using foreign Telegram accounts and instructions relayed from outside India.

Despite daily reporting of such cases and repeated warnings that no police or investigative agency conducts arrests over video calls or demands money to “clear” cases, fraudsters continue to succeed — especially against elderly victims living alone, who are more susceptible to fear-based manipulation.

Police officers admit that the challenge now is not just technical, but psychological.

“These scams work because they weaponise authority and fear,” one investigator said.

“Until people can pause, verify and talk to someone they trust, the fraudsters will keep finding victims — no matter how many times the warnings are issued.”

As cyber criminals grow more sophisticated, these cases serve as a stark reminder that vigilance, conversation, and immediate verification remain the strongest defences against a crime that thrives on silence and panic.

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