The incident began with a phone call received on March 15, this year, by a medical professional based in Gandhinagar. The caller alleged that objectionable content had been detected on the doctor’s phone and proceeded to issue threats of disconnecting her mobile services and initiating a money laundering case against her.
This marked the onset of an elaborate and calculated fraud scheme. Over the following weeks, the victim received multiple calls from individuals falsely identifying themselves as law enforcement officers, including a sub-inspector and a public prosecutor. These calls were carefully orchestrated to create a climate of fear and exert psychological pressure, ultimately leading to what is being described as a “digital arrest.”
Under persistent coercion, the doctor transferred a total of Rs 19 crore — comprising her lifetime savings and assets — to 35 separate bank accounts over a span of three months. The fraudsters further exploited the situation by securing a loan against her gold jewellery and diverting those proceeds as well. At one point, the victim was so thoroughly manipulated that she routinely informed the perpetrators of her location through video calls whenever she left her residence.
The fraudulent communication ceased abruptly one day. Upon confiding in her family, the magnitude of the deception became evident. A formal complaint was lodged on July 16, prompting the cyber cell of the CID Crime Branch in Gujarat to initiate an investigation.
According to sources, this is likely one of the most significant “digital arrest” fraud cases in India in terms of the monetary loss suffered by a single individual.
Following intensive inquiries, authorities apprehended a suspect in Surat whose bank account was found to contain Rs 1 crore of the defrauded amount. The individual is currently under interrogation as investigators work to map the broader network involved in the operation.
Efforts are ongoing to trace the masterminds of the scam through their digital footprints. The recovery of the remaining funds remains a complex challenge, as the money has been dispersed across numerous bank accounts. Law enforcement agencies are continuing their efforts to identify all those involved and recover the misappropriated assets.
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