Police said the fraudsters subjected the woman to continuous psychological pressure and intimidation from January till May this year. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
In what is being described as Karnataka’s biggest “digital arrest” cyber fraud case, the cybercrime sleuths of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) have busted a massive online scam and arrested five accused, including two suspects from Delhi and Haryana, for allegedly cheating an elderly Bengaluru woman of nearly ₹24 crore, posing as officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).The victim, a resident of Shivajinagar, had earlier worked as a teacher in Dubai before retiring. Police said she had sold several properties in Bengaluru and Mumbai and was planning to relocate to the United States (U.S.) to live with her children.According to investigators, the accused contacted the woman through video calls while impersonating as officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). They allegedly told her that her bank accounts were linked to a money laundering case and warned her not to disclose the matter to anyone, claiming she was under “digital arrest.”Police said the fraudsters subjected the woman to continuous psychological pressure and intimidation from January till May this year. Under the pretext of “verification” and “clearance” of funds, the accused allegedly convinced her to transfer money through RTGS transactions to multiple bank accounts.During the course of the fraud, the victim allegedly transferred nearly ₹24 crore to 22 different bank accounts operated by the accused persons.Despite receiving such a huge amount, the fraudsters allegedly continued demanding more money. In a desperate attempt to arrange funds, the woman reportedly approached a private back in Bengaluru to pledge around 1.3 kilograms of gold jewellery.Bank officials became suspicious after noticing the unusually large quantity of gold ornaments being brought for pledging and immediately alerted the police.Officials from the CCB Cyber Crime police rushed to the bank and questioned the woman. Though initially reluctant to reveal details, she later disclosed that she was “digitally arrested”. The police educated her as to how she was defrauded, promoting her to lodge a complaint.Based on her complaint, the CCB Cyber Crime police registered a case and launched an investigation. During operations conducted in Delhi and Allahabad, police arrested accused persons identified as Gaurav Kumar and Om Prakash Rajput along with three others involved in the racket.The police have also frozen bank accounts containing nearly ₹3 crore linked to the scam. Further investigation are on to ascertain their involvement in similar cases. Published - May 24, 2026 01:42 pm IST
