Retired Navy officer loses 42L to ‘digital arrest’ con

Ahmedabad: A 53-year-old businessman from Satellite on Thursday lodged a complaint with the Cybercrime police, alleging that fraudsters posing as telecom officials, CBI officers, and even a judge duped his 83-year-old father of over Rs 42.50 lakh through a "digital arrest" scam.According to the FIR, the victim, a retired Navy officer, received a call on Dec 8, 2025, from a person claiming to be from the telecom department. The caller said multiple complaints were registered against his mobile number and that the matter was under investigation by the CBI in Mumbai. Shortly thereafter, the elderly man received WhatsApp video calls from another person posing as a CBI officer.
The fraudsters allegedly claimed that Rs 20 lakh linked to a suspect was transferred to the victim's bank account and that he was facing 27 criminal cases. During one video call, the complainant's father was shown what appeared to be a courtroom set-up, with a person dressed as a judge warning him not to disclose the "confidential probe" to family members.Police said the elderly man was threatened with damage to his reputation and arrest. He was instructed to submit a written declaration of his bank accounts and transfer funds for "verification" by the Reserve Bank of India. Between Dec 8 and 10, fixed deposits from two bank accounts were prematurely withdrawn, and Rs 42.50 lakh was transferred via RTGS to accounts in different banks, as directed by the callers. The fraud came to light on Dec 11, when bank officials grew suspicious as further withdrawals were attempted and alerted the family.