🇮🇳 India's first community scam intelligence platform — search before you trust⚡ UPI Fraud? File a report in 60 seconds and protect others📞 Cybercrime Helpline 1930 — free, 24×7, available across all states🛡️ Your report is anonymous — speak up, keep India safe🏛️ Know your rights — explore Citizen Ethics from birth to death🔍 86,420 cybercrime cases were registered in India in 2023 (NCRB)🇮🇳 India's cybercrime cases are nearly 9× higher than in 2014 (NCRB)🇮🇳 3,82,632 cybercrime cases registered in India from 2014 to 2023 (NCRB, via MHA)📞 ₹7,130 crore+ saved in 23.02 lakh+ cyber-fraud complaints through India's helpline system (I4C, MHA)🇮🇳 India's first community scam intelligence platform — search before you trust⚡ UPI Fraud? File a report in 60 seconds and protect others📞 Cybercrime Helpline 1930 — free, 24×7, available across all states🛡️ Your report is anonymous — speak up, keep India safe🏛️ Know your rights — explore Citizen Ethics from birth to death🔍 86,420 cybercrime cases were registered in India in 2023 (NCRB)🇮🇳 India's cybercrime cases are nearly 9× higher than in 2014 (NCRB)🇮🇳 3,82,632 cybercrime cases registered in India from 2014 to 2023 (NCRB, via MHA)📞 ₹7,130 crore+ saved in 23.02 lakh+ cyber-fraud complaints through India's helpline system (I4C, MHA)

Report Scams

For a Better India

Updating protected services for a safer Bharat. Jai Hind.

Retired engineer loses Rs 10 crore in ‘digital arrest’…

← Back to live cases

activeCyber Crime / Digital ArrestPan India

Retired engineer loses Rs 10 crore in ‘digital arrest’ scam in Vijayawada

A retired engineer living in Vijayawada reportedly fell victim to a digital arrest scam, losing a staggering Rs 10 crore over the course of a week. According to police reports, unidentified fraudsters contacted the victim and alleged that his mobile number was connected to multiple criminal cases, threatening him with legal action.

State

Multiple States

First reported

September 2026

Agency involved

Vijayawada Cyber Crime Police

Recovered or frozen amount

Around Rs 7 crore frozen in two bank accounts

Status

Case registered, investigation ongoing to identify culprits and trace remaining money

The full story

Everything you need to know about this case, in one place.

The callers escalated the intimidation by initiating a video call and placing the victim under purported 'digital arrest'. They demanded large sums of money in exchange for avoiding actual arrest. Fearing imprisonment, the retired engineer broke his fixed deposits and transferred a total of Rs 10 crore across four separate transactions using Canara Bank's Krishna Lanka branch.

The scam unraveled when the fraudsters persisted in demanding additional funds, which finally raised suspicion and prompted the victim to approach the Vijayawada Cyber Crime Police. Following the complaint, law enforcement officials registered a case and managed to freeze approximately Rs 7 crore across two bank accounts connected to the accused while continuing efforts to trace the rest of the funds.

Not yet reported: The articles do not mention any specific arrests made in connection with the case.

Where the case stands

The latest position in the reports we read.

Police have registered a case, frozen around Rs 7 crore in bank accounts linked to the accused, and are actively trying to identify the fraudsters and recover the remaining funds.

Who was affected

Described in general terms; we do not name victims.

A single retired engineer residing in Guru Nanak Colony, Vijayawada.

Timeline

Key dates as reported, oldest first.

About a week before the complaintThe retired engineer received an initial phone call from the fraudsters alleging his mobile number was linked to criminal cases.

TuesdayThe victim approached the Vijayawada Cyber Crime Police to file a complaint after the callers demanded more money.

How the scam worked

The method described in the reports.

Fraudsters contacted the victim by phone, claiming his mobile number was linked to criminal cases.
The callers escalated the contact to a video call and threatened the victim with 'digital arrest'.
The perpetrators demanded money in exchange for avoiding legal action.
The victim broke his fixed deposits and transferred Rs 10 crore through four transactions to bank accounts provided by the callers.

Targeted by something similar?

Call 1930 (free, 24x7) straight away, then file at cybercrime.gov.in. Money reported in the first hours is far easier to freeze.

Report it on Report Scams Emergency guide How these scams work

Keep reading

More cases like this one.

Fake challans, pension apps: Cops arrest BTech dropout linked to Rs 150 crore fraudCyber Crime / Digital Arrest · Multiple States CBI Arrests 2 Bank Officials in ₹504 Crore Govt Fund ScamCyber Crime / Digital Arrest · Multiple States 80-year-old doctor loses Rs 58.5 in digital arrest scam, 2 arrestedCyber Crime / Digital Arrest · Multiple States Hero FinCorp cyber fraud case: Five arrested, Rs 1.7 crore put on holdCyber Crime / Digital Arrest · Multiple States

Sources and further reading

Optional. The full story is above; these are the original reports it was prepared from.

timesofindia.indiatimes.comOriginal report The Times of IndiaOpens via Google News

Prepared by Report Scams, with the help of AI, from the published reports listed above. Check those reports for the latest. Cases here describe allegations. An FIR, arrest or charge is not a finding of guilt. To report a mistake, or to ask for a correction or removal, write to our Grievance Officer. See also the Safe Posting policy.