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Retired Scientist Duped Of Rs 1.25 Crore In Digital Arrest…

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activeCyber Crime / Digital ArrestPan India

Retired Scientist Duped Of Rs 1.25 Crore In Digital Arrest Scam; 11 Arrested

Delhi Police busted a large digital-arrest scam network, arresting 11 individuals and freezing over Rs 12 crore. Investigators revealed international links connecting the operations to handlers in Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries. An analysis of digital evidence linked the network to 78 complaints across various states on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, involving a total amount of Rs 73 crore.

State

Multiple States

First reported

October 2026

Total Amount Alleged across Network

Rs 73 crore (linked to 78 complaints)

Arrests

11 men arrested

Agency Involved

Delhi Police (Special Cell)

Status

11 suspects arrested, over Rs 12 crore frozen, and further investigation underway

The full story

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

The investigation began after a 69-year-old retired scientist and former director in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology reported being cheated of Rs 1.25 crore in a digital-arrest scam. The victim received a call from individuals posing as law enforcement officers, who claimed his Aadhaar details were misused in a money-laundering case and threatened him with arrest. Under the guise of verifying his funds, the fraudsters induced him to transfer the money through RTGS while keeping him under continuous video surveillance.

Police tracked down and raided a premises in Delhi, arresting five men allegedly involved in arranging mule bank accounts and facilitating cyber-fraud transactions. Further operations led to the arrest of six additional suspects who allegedly managed bank accounts, handled transactions, and distributed commissions. Authorities discovered that the network used Telegram for coordination and cryptocurrency for commission payments, while also uncovering links to other major cyber-fraud cases in Andhra Pradesh and Delhi.

Not yet reported: The exact court proceedings, final sentencing, and identification of all foreign handlers remain unreported.

Where the case stands

The latest position in the reports we read.

Eleven individuals have been arrested by the Delhi Police, and over Rs 12 crore has been frozen. Further investigations into the broader network and foreign handlers are ongoing.

Who was affected

Described in general terms; we do not name victims.

Victims include a retired scientist and former director in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology who lost Rs 1.25 crore, a 79-year-old man in Andhra Pradesh who lost Rs 10.25 crore, and numerous other complainants across India totaling 78 recorded complaints.

Timeline

Key dates as reported, oldest first.

JuneA digital-arrest case involving a scam amount of Rs 77 lakh was registered by the Delhi Police.

August 14A retired scientist received a fraudulent call from individuals impersonating law enforcement officers.

TuesdayDelhi Police officially announced the arrest of 11 individuals and the recovery of over Rs 12 crore in connection with the scam.

How the scam worked

The method described in the reports.

Fraudsters contacted the victim posing as officials from the Delhi Police, Anti-Terrorism Squad, and National Investigation Agency.
The callers falsely claimed the victim's Aadhaar details were linked to a money-laundering case and threatened him with arrest.
The victim was kept under continuous video surveillance and had his movements controlled by the callers.
Under the pretext of verifying his funds, the perpetrators induced the victim to transfer Rs 1.25 crore via RTGS into designated bank accounts.
The network utilized mule bank accounts arranged through Telegram channels to funnel the fraudulent funds.
Handlers coordinated their activities using Telegram and received commissions in cryptocurrency, which were later converted into Indian rupees.

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.

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Keep reading

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Sources and further reading

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

rediff.comOriginal report News MobileOpens via Google News Retired Scientist Loses Rs 1.25 Crore To Digital Arrest Scam, 11 Arrested - NDTVNDTV · 14 Oct 2026

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