Delhi elderly NRI couple duped of Rs 15 crore in ‘digitally arrest’ cyber scam; say 'our biggest mistake was...'

An elderly NRI couple was reportedly duped of around Rs 15 crore in Delhi after the scamsters put them under “digital arrest” for over 15 days, posing as officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Mumbai Police, said Delhi Police on Sunday.

The couple, identified as Indira Taneja, 77, and her husband Om Taneja, 81, stated that their “biggest mistake” was not approaching the police as soon as possible. "We were told by the SHO (of Delhi Police) that we were put under (so-called) ‘digital arrest’. And that is when we realised what had happened," said Om Taneja, news agency PTI reported. "Not informing the police earlier was our biggest mistake," he said, adding that they lost Rs 14.85 crore.

Indira Taneja, who lives in Delhi’s upscale Greater Kailash-2 locality, alleged that she received a call on December 24 from a person impersonating an official of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The caller claimed that a phone number linked to her was being used to make offensive and abusive calls, and further alleged that she was under investigation in a money-laundering case, news agency ANI reported.

The fraudster also told her that black money had been traced to her bank account, placing her under official scrutiny. Taneja said she was then connected via video call to another man who introduced himself as a police officer from Mumbai’s Colaba area. According to her, the man appeared in a police uniform and alleged that a Canara Bank account in her name was connected to a large-scale fraud.

The caller further warned her that her life was in danger and instructed her not to discuss the matter with anyone. Recounting the incident to PTI, Taneja said she received the initial call around noon on December 24 from the man posing as a TRAI official. "He told me that my telephone number was being disconnected because obscene calls were made from it and that 26 people had filed complaints," she said.

Fake arrest warrants

Even after confirming the number shown by them was not hers, they also issued arrest warrants. "Despite that, he said arrest warrants were issued against me, and an FIR was registered in Maharashtra," she said. After this, Indira claimed that the scammers informed her that the case had been transferred to the Colaba Police of Mumbai, and later, they connected her in a video call to someone. "A man named ‘Vikrant Singh Rajput’ appeared on the screen wearing a police uniform. I could see police insignia behind him. He told me I was involved in money laundering," she said.

She added that the man in the uniform claimed that a bank account was opened in her name at Mumbai's Canara Bank branch and multiple transactions were made through it. The scammer also showed her a photograph of a man, identifying as ‘Naresh Goyal’, and question as if she knew him. "I told him I had never seen this person in my life," she said. "They said a fraud of ₹500 crore had taken place and that since I had returned from the US to serve the nation, it had become a national-security issue," Indira added.

Later, the scammers asked the couple not to indulge anyone for national security and to send money from their bank accounts for verification. "They kept demanding money — ₹2 crore, ₹2.1 crore, ₹2.5 crore. The phone or the video call remained active throughout the day. I was ‘digitally arrested’ from December 24 noon till January 9 morning," Indira said.

After being swindled of their life’s savings, the victims alleged that the fraudsters assured them a refund would be issued through the Reserve Bank of India and even showed documents bearing what they claimed were Supreme Court stamps. The elderly couple realised they had been cheated only after approaching the police.

The victim later contacted the national cybercrime helpline at 1930 and sought time to file a detailed complaint in the presence of her lawyer, after which the case will be forwarded to the Cyber Crime Unit. Meanwhile, the IFSO unit of the Delhi Police has already registered an FIR in the matter, as reported by the news agency ANI.