Mumbai: A 70-year-old retired doctor from Mumbai has fallen prey to a sophisticated digital detention scam and lost ₹2.89 crore after cyber fraudsters impersonating government officials convinced her she was involved in a money laundering case.
According to the cyber police, the ordeal began on May 28, when the woman received a call from a man identifying himself as Amit Kumar from the Department of Telecommunications. He claimed a new SIM card had been fraudulently obtained using her Aadhaar credentials and that an FIR had been registered against her.
Soon after, she was contacted via WhatsApp by someone claiming to be from the “Cyber Crime Department, Mumbai,” requesting her identity details. The situation escalated when she received a WhatsApp video call from another impostor posing as IPS officer Samadhan Pawar from the Mumbai Crime Branch.
In a call that lasted nearly 14 hours, the fraudster alleged her involvement in a money laundering case linked to businessman Naresh Goyal, stating that a raid at Goyal’s residence uncovered a bank account and debit card under her name. Despite her protests, she was warned that even a single rupee from illegal funds could land her in jail for three years.
To convince her, the scammers sent forged documents purportedly from the High Court, Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation, and Reserve Bank of India, all designed to falsely implicate her in the alleged crime.
Fearing arrest and convinced of the documents’ authenticity, the doctor began transferring her life savings into bank accounts provided by the scammer for “investigative purposes.” Over the next week, she wired a total of ₹2.89 crore.
The scam only came to light when her husband casually mentioned the ordeal to a relative, who immediately suspected fraud. The family contacted the cyber police and filed an official complaint.
A formal investigation is now underway. Police believe the case is part of a growing wave of “digital detention” scams, where cybercriminals pose as law enforcement to intimidate victims—often elderly individuals—into handing over their money.
