14 days, 24x7 surveillance, Rs 1.4 crore gone in elderly woman's ‘digital arrest’

New Delhi: For 14 days, a 76-year-old homemaker in a south Delhi neighbourhood lived as a prisoner in her own home, monitored 24x7 through a smartphone lens. Between April 20 and May 4, cybercriminals posing as Mumbai Police and ED officers drained Rs 1.4 crore from her accounts — savings her late husband had built over a lifetime of service — after accusing her of funding ammunition for a deadly terror attack.

An FIR has been registered, recipient bank accounts identified and a probe is underway. The ordeal began with a landline call on April 20. The voice on the other end claimed to be a senior Mumbai Police officer and recited her full name, address and the fact that she lived alone.

She was told that her bank accounts were used to fund a terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, which had resulted in 26 deaths.

“They told her a non-bailable warrant had been issued against her,” a relative told TOI. “They insisted they needed to perform a ‘financial cleaning’ of her accounts to prove her innocence. While one person would pretend to believe her, another would scream that they needed to take immediate action. It was absolute psychological torture.”

To maintain total control, the conversation was shifted from the landline to a smartphone. For the next two weeks, the victim was placed under a 'digital arrest’. She was ordered to keep a video call active for over 16 hours a day.

“Even during visits to banks, she was instructed to carry a bag with the phone inside, the video call running silently. She was instructed to watch only bhajans on TV, if needed, to calm herself down,” the relative said.

The woman managed to hide the crisis from her two children, who live abroad, and relatives. “At one point, on a call, she mentioned a Wi-Fi issue. When I offered to send a friend over to fix it, she insisted it was already handled,” the relative said. Even the two domestic helps noticed nothing unusual.

Over the 14-day period, the victim visited multiple bank branches to break fixed deposits, including one worth Rs 30 lakh.

The family expressed outrage that despite a history of modest spending, these massive, atypical transactions were never flagged. “She had a withdrawal limit of Rs 10,000 at a time,” her relative said. “We had even ensured my sister stayed in touch with the relationship manager of the private bank, yet no one flagged this.”

The 'arrest' only ended on May 4, once the victim’s accounts were completely drained. She then reached out to her family and police were informed.