Digital Arrest Scam: Fraud Proceeds Transferred To 10 Bank Accounts; Five SIM Cards Used For Trapping Retired BHEL Official In Bhopal

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Fresh revelations have surfaced in the cyber fraud case involving 71-year-old retired BHEL supervisor Vinod Kumar Gupta, who was duped of Rs 68.3 lakh after being kept under so-called “digital arrest” by cyber criminals.

Cyber crime branch officials said that the fraud proceeds were funnelled into at least 10 different bank accounts across the country. They included Rs 14.7 lakh in Maharashtra, Rs 7 lakh in Delhi, Rs 4.2 lakh across two accounts in Meerut, and the remaining balance in five accounts located in West Bengal.

The investigation has also uncovered the use of five SIM cards during the operation — three were virtual numbers, one originated from North-East, and another was used to run WhatsApp communication.

The cyber crime branch has sought assistance from Meta to trace the virtual numbers and have requested CAF and CDR details for the North-East SIM. Shockingly, the probe revealed that Gupta remained under “digital arrest” for nearly three months.

During this period, he lived under fear, believing he was under investigation for money laundering, drug trafficking, and other crimes.

Cyber criminals, impersonating senior officials from the Department of Telecommunications and the CBI, not only forced him to transfer his savings but also dictated his daily movements. He even sought their “permission” to speak to his son, interact with family members, or travel outside the city.

Additional DCP (Cyber) Shailendra Singh Chauhan said the fraudsters falsely claimed that an ICICI Bank passbook in Gupta’s name contained deposits worth Rs 68 crore in black money, linking him to illegal activities.

Threatened with arrest, Gupta transferred money into multiple bank accounts. Additional DCP Chauhan has urged citizens to remain vigilant and immediately report suspicious calls claiming to be from government or investigative agencies.