Trapped in a virtual jail, senior citizen loses Rs 46 Lakh

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

A 72-year-old retired government officer was trapped under “digital arrest” for seven days and duped of Rs 46 lakh by cybercriminals who misused the name of IPS officer Vishwas Nangre Patil.

The gang convinced him that his bank account was linked to a Rs 2.5 crore fraud, forcing him to break his fixed deposits and transfer the money. Shaken and living alone, he finally lodged a complaint on Wednesday after police intervention. The victim Dileep Kondekar(72, Shanoorwadi), first received a WhatsApp call on August 4. The caller, impersonating Nangre Patil, accused him of involvement in a scam and threatened dire consequences unless he surrendered his deposits. That day alone, he transferred Rs 4 lakh, followed by Rs 10 lakh. On August 8, during a video call, he was pressured into paying another Rs 32 lakh.

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Accounts traced to Haryana banks

The gang provided accounts mostly linked to nationalised banks of India in Haryana. To comply, the victim broke multiple FDs before transferring the money.

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Fake arrest warrant, jail threat

To tighten their grip, the scammers sent a forged arrest warrant and a fake ED letter, warning of 90 days in jail and house seizure if he spoke up. Three men, posing as police officers, stayed in touch through video calls but never revealed their faces. Out of fear, the victim concealed the ordeal even from his family.

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Senior citizens, retired officials prime targets

This is not an isolated case. Police records reveal at least 11 “digital arrest” frauds in the city, mostly targeting elderly people and former officials.

• In June 2, a Kolhapur professor lost Rs 3 crore, and a Beed teacher Rs 83 lakh.

• In July 11, a 77-year-old retired officer was duped of Rs 78.6 lakh using AI-generated visuals of Nangre Patil.

• In August 2024, an elderly woman was conned of Rs 23 lakh in a similar manner.

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Police probe spans three states

In a parallel case, a Jawaharnagar woman was also duped of Rs 46 lakh using the same modus operandi. Police sub-inspector Maroti Khillare and his team searched Delhi, Haryana, Gurugram, Jodhpur, and Jaipur for 15 days. But every address linked to the suspects’ bank accounts turned out to be fake or incomplete, leaving investigators chasing shadows.