Bhubaneswar Senior Duped of Rs 1.5 Cr in Digital Arrest Cyber Fraud

Bhubaneswar: In a shocking case of cyber fraud, a senior citizen from Bhubaneswar was kept under a so-called digital arrest for ten days and was conned of Rs 1.5 crore.

Cybercriminals impersonating Customs Department officials trapped the victim by claiming his bank account was linked to a money-laundering case. Fearing legal trouble, he followed their instructions and transferred the money in two phases.

The fraudsters first siphoned off Rs 70 lakh and then extracted another Rs 80 lakh from his accounts. The ordeal continued for ten days before the victim reached out to the Cybercrime Police, who managed to freeze Rs 12 lakh of the defrauded amount. Police have urged citizens, particularly the elderly, to remain alert against callers posing as government officials and to verify such claims through official channels.