Bhubaneswar Chartered Accountant Loses Rs. 1.5 Crore in ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam

A 68-year-old chartered accountant in Bhubaneswar was tricked by online scammers and lost Rs. 1.5 crore. The fraudsters pretended to be officers from the Customs Department, Enforcement Directorate (ED), and CBI. They convinced him that he was in trouble with the law and needed to send them money to clear things up. The fraudsters kept the victim under a so-called “digital arrest” for ten days. The case was also uncovered when the Odisha Police was operating a cyber awareness campaign started on October 18.

The case started when CA received a WhatsApp call from individuals pretending to be central law enforcement officers. They made him believe that victim’s Aadhaar number had been used in illegal money-laundering payments and an FIR had been filed in his name. Through advanced intelligence (AI) tools, the fraudsters organized multiple video calls showing computer-generated images of courtrooms and police stations to build a sense of justification.

The victim (CA) transferred Rs 1.5 crore in several installments to multiple bank accounts as part of bail under pressure and fear of a court case.

At the time of digital arrest, the fraudsters instructed the victim to not leave his house or communicate with anyone for ten days.

However, the fraud came out when a family member of CA noticed his unusual behavior and questioned him. And after realizing the fraud, the victim filed a complaint at the Cyber Police Station under the State Crime Branch in Cuttack.

After which a police officer stated, “We have launched a detailed investigation, tracking the digital footprint and banking trail to identify the culprits.” He further added that even after continuous public awareness advertising and news drives by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), banks, and law enforcement agencies, such high-value cyber frauds continue to increase.

The case lines up with a recent statement from the Supreme Court on November 3, where it showed concern about the rising number of “digital arrest” scams. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the CBI, many of these scams are run from other countries. They said that some Indian youngsters are being taken abroad and forced to work for these fraud networks, with their passports taken away so they can’t leave.