Retired Chandigarh couple loses ₹2 crore in ‘digital arrest’ scam.

A retired public health department official and his wife from Chandigarh fell victim to an elaborate cyber fraud known as a digital arrest scam. According to cybercrime police, the couple received a WhatsApp call from an individual impersonating an Anti-Terrorism Squad officer named Vikram Singh. The caller falsely alleged that identity documents belonging to the couple were found with arrested terrorists in Kashmir and that an HDFC Bank account in their names had transferred funds to terror groups.

The fraudsters intimidated the couple by threatening them with arrest under the National Security Act, fake Supreme Court warrants, and a 45-day detention in Pune. Under the guise of a National Investigation Agency audit, the scammers forced the victims to remain under digital house arrest and submit photographs of their financial documents. Between October 1 and 9, the couple made four RTGS transfers totaling nearly ₹2 crore from their various bank accounts to accounts specified by the fraudsters.

The scammers eventually cut off communication on October 11 after assuring the victims that their accounts were cleared and that a refund would follow. Realizing they had been deceived, the couple contacted the national cybercrime helpline and filed a formal complaint at the Sector 17 cybercrime police station. Chandigarh police have launched an investigation to trace the financial trail of the siphoned funds and issued a public advisory against police impersonators.

Not yet reported: The reports do not mention the identification or arrest of any suspects.