Retired Bank Employee Loses ₹8.67 Lakh in ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam in Ajmer

Ajmer: A retired bank employee from Kishangarh in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district lost ₹8.67 lakh after falling victim to a ‘digital arrest’ scam. Police said the victim, Sampat Lal Maheshwari, was duped by fraudsters posing as Delhi Police and CBI officials.

According to Head Constable Jitendra Singh, Maheshwari received a WhatsApp call from a number with the profile name “Jai Hind.” The caller, claiming to be Vijay Kumar, a senior Delhi Police officer, informed him that a person named Sadakat Khan had been arrested at the airport in a human trafficking case. The fraudster alleged that 180 ATM cards were recovered from Khan’s house, including one in Maheshwari’s name, which was used in 155 illegal transactions.

The caller then connected Maheshwari with a woman pretending to be a CBI officer, who claimed that a case had been registered against him and that he could face imprisonment and a fine. Under the pretext of resolving the case, the victim was asked to transfer money to “court accounts.”

Fearing legal trouble, Maheshwari initially transferred ₹85,000. The fraudsters then kept him under “digital arrest” for eight days, constantly monitoring and controlling his phone activity. During this period, he was coerced into transferring ₹8.67 lakh by prematurely closing 18 fixed deposits.

A complaint has been lodged at the Cyber Crime police station, and an investigation is underway, officials said.