Terror Link Ruse Used To Keep 82-Year-Old Woman in Digital Arrest, Defraud her of ₹73.30 Lakh

Thane: An 82-year-old woman from Kalyan (West) was duped of Rs 73.30 lakh by a well-organised racket that used fear and psychological manipulation to carry out the crime. The fraudsters falsely claimed that a mobile SIM card issued in her name was being used by a Pakistan Army-linked terrorist allegedly connected to the Pathankot attacks, causing the senior citizen to panic. According to police, the accused posed as law enforcement and investigative officials and contacted the elderly woman through multiple phone numbers. One of the callers identified himself as "Vijay Khanna" and told her that she was under the scanner for alleged involvement in terror funding and money laundering activities. To intensify the pressure, the fraudsters placed her under "digital arrest", a tactic where victims are isolated and continuously monitored through video calls, preventing them from reaching out to family members or authorities.Under constant surveillance and threat of legal consequences, the woman was coerced into "cooperating" with the so-called investigation. The accused convinced her that her bank accounts needed to be verified to prove her innocence. Acting under fear, she transferred a total of Rs 73.30 lakh through multiple RTGS transactions to bank accounts provided by the fraudsters via WhatsApp. The transactions were carried out over a span of four days, between April 6 and April 10, 2026.Following the incident, the Mahatma Phule Chowk police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, including provisions related to cheating, impersonation and online fraud. Police officials are currently tracing the bank accounts and digital footprints of the accused. No arrests have been made so far, and further investigation is underway. The senior police officers have once again cautioned citizens against such scams, stressing that no govt agency conducts investigations or demands money through phone or video calls.