Retired bank employee digitally arrested, loses money for daughter’s wedding

Patna: A 66-year-old retired bank employee, who had saved his retirement funds for his younger daughter’s marriage, and his wife were kept under “digital arrest” by cyber fraudsters for 13 days in Muzaffarpur district and duped of Rs67 lakh, police said on Saturday.

Mahesh Gami, who retired from a Punjab National Bank branch in Durgapur, West Bengal, in 2020, fell victim to the scam after receiving a video call from a fraudster posing as a police officer.

Gami, received a video call on March 26 from an unknown number, with the caller posing as a police officer. The fraudster claimed that Gami’s Aadhaar card had been used in terrorist activities and money laundering in Pahalgam, and that a Rs5-crore laundering case had been registered against him.

According to Gami, the scammers, posing as officials of the Mumbai Crime Branch, accused him of involvement in terror funding linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. To make their claims appear genuine, they shared forged documents, including a purported Supreme Court acknowledgment, RBI clarification, CBI investigation letter and an Enforcement Directorate receipt.

In his FIR, Gami stated that the fraudsters alleged that Rs5 crore from Pakistan had been used to fund a terror attack in Pahalgam, of which Rs50 lakh had allegedly been routed to him. They also sent photographs of alleged terrorists and kept him on continuous WhatsApp video and voice calls.

“I was made to believe that my account was involved in money laundering and that I would be arrested. I didn’t know what to do. They kept me under surveillance for 13 days,” Gami said.

The fraudsters threatened immediate arrest if he disconnected the call and ensured he remained constantly under watch. Even when stepping out or receiving calls, the victim and his wife were instructed to stay connected and speak in front of the scammers.

Muzaffarpur Cyber DSP Himanshu Kumar said the accused manipulated Gami into believing his Aadhaar and bank details were linked to a drug trafficking case. “They kept him under video surveillance and instructed him not to inform anyone,” he said.

Under pressure, Gami transferred Rs42 lakh and Rs25 lakh from two fixed deposits into bank accounts provided by the fraudsters on April 4 and 6, respectively.

He realised he had been duped only when the fraudsters asked him to surrender his LIC policy. An LIC agent intervened, asked him to disconnect the call, and persuaded him to approach the police.

A complaint was lodged at the Muzaffarpur cyber police station on April 10. Police said efforts are on to trace the mobile numbers used in the crime and freeze the beneficiary bank accounts.
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