Tutor loses ₹7 lakh in ‘digital arrest’ scam
Fraudsters posed as TRAI, CBI, and ED officials
HYDERABAD: A 56-year-old tutor from Ameerpet, Hyderabad, lost ₹7 lakh after being trapped in a "digital arrest" scam where fraudsters posed as officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The complainant, Vimala Sugandhi Gottipati, told the Cybercrime police at Basheerbagh that on September 28, 2025, she received an Interactive Voice Response (IVRS) call from a woman identifying herself as Priya Sharma, a TRAI employee. The caller alleged that her Aadhaar card had been misused to purchase a SIM card in Mumbai which was involved in illegal activities.
Victim was kept on video call for nearly 12 hours
Sugandhi was then connected to another person, who introduced himself as Vijay Khanna, a CBI officer. He claimed that she was booked in a money laundering case (FIR No. MH8805/09/25, Mumbai) and that an account had been opened in her name at a Canara Bank branch in Mumbai for fraudulent transactions.
“He sent me fake arrest orders under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, and warned me that I was under surveillance. I was told not to speak to anyone,” Sugandhi said in her complaint.
According to her statement, she was kept on a continuous video call from 13.00 IST to 23.00 IST, during which she was instructed not to leave her home or contact anyone. The fraudsters also sent her forged letters in the name of the Enforcement Directorate and even a fake order purportedly from a Supreme Court judge.
Frightened, Sugandhi transferred ₹7 lakh from her HDFC Bank account (Panjagutta branch) to an account at Catholic Syrian Bank, Kozhikode, Kerala, in the name of Anoop PK. She was assured that the amount would be refunded after “verification.”
Later, when a family acquaintance learnt about the incident, she was advised to approach the police. She then lodged a complaint with the Cybercrime police station.
Police registered a case and launched an investigation.
