In a shocking incident from Faridabad, a retired Air Force sergeant was duped out of Rs 5 lakh by a group of fraudsters impersonating officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The victim, identified as Aditya Kumar Jha, 55, found himself entangled in a sophisticated scam that involved being placed under a so-called “digital arrest” for an alarming 55 hours.
Jha, who currently works as a clerk at Punjab National Bank, received a video call from an unknown number shortly after returning from election duty in Haryana on October 6. At the time of the call, his family was visiting the Jhandewalan temple in Delhi, leaving him alone to handle the unexpected communication. The individual on the other end of the line, claiming to be a TRAI official, informed Jha that his mobile number faced imminent deactivation. The caller alleged that someone had fraudulently acquired a SIM card using Jha’s Aadhaar details in Delhi and was sending gambling-related messages from that number.
Adding to the confusion, a second caller, who introduced himself as Vijay Kumar, identified as a Deputy Commissioner of Police from the CBI, stated that arrest warrants had been issued against Jha. This shocking news intensified Jha’s anxiety, especially when the caller warned him that a money laundering case involving an amount of Rs 6.68 crore had been filed against him, implicating him alongside notorious figures like Nawab Malik.
In an alarming turn of events, the caller instructed Jha to rush to the CBI office in Delhi within two hours. When Jha hesitated, the callers escalated their threats, asserting that he was under “digital arrest” and cautioning him that his family would face consequences if he hung up the call. In the world of cyber fraud, “digital arrest” refers to a tactic in which scammers impersonate law enforcement officials through audio or video calls, often employing intimidation to coerce victims into making financial transactions.
Following their menacing instructions, Jha was demanded to provide his bank account details and was told to make a monetary transaction as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged money laundering. When a transaction attempt failed, the fraudsters directed Jha to visit his home branch in Madhubani, Bihar, to complete the transfer. Without disconnecting the call for fear of repercussions, Jha traveled by train to Bihar and ultimately transferred Rs 5.03 lakh to the account specified by the scams.
This incident highlights the growing prevalence of cyber scams, especially those that manipulate victims’ fears and vulnerabilities. Law enforcement agencies are urging the public to be vigilant against such deceitful practices and to verify the identity of any official making suspicious claims.
