A 63-year-old businessman from Sector 78 was allegedly kept under “digital arrest” for 26 days by cyber fraudsters who posed as officers from Delhi Police, the Anti-Terrorism Squad and the National Investigation Agency before forcing him to transfer ₹1.45 crore.
The victim, identified in local reports as Manoj Agarwal, was allegedly told that his name had surfaced in terrorism and money-laundering investigations. The fraudsters threatened him with arrest and harm to his family while repeatedly ordering him not to speak to relatives.
Police have registered a case at Noida’s Cyber Crime Police Station and are now tracing the bank accounts, WhatsApp numbers and financial trail connected with the transfers.
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One WhatsApp Call Became 26 Days of Fear
The fraud allegedly began on July 27.
A caller introducing himself as Ranjit Kumar claimed to be an official from Delhi Police headquarters. He allegedly told Agarwal that he was implicated in a serious criminal case.
The conversation was then presented as being transferred to senior ATS and NIA officials.
By invoking multiple powerful agencies, the callers allegedly created the impression that a large coordinated investigation was underway.
Agarwal was threatened with prosecution for terrorism and money laundering and told that the Uttar Pradesh STF and NIA were monitoring him.
The accused allegedly kept him connected through WhatsApp video calls for extended periods and prevented him from discussing the matter with family members.
Isolation was central to the scam.
The longer the victim remained cut off from people who could independently question the story, the easier it became for the fraudsters to maintain control.
₹1.45 Crore Moved in Four Transactions
The money did not leave the victim’s account in one transfer.
According to the complaint, Agarwal sent ₹95.05 lakh on August 7 and another ₹20.20 lakh on August 11.
Two more transfers were allegedly made on August 21 — ₹20.20 lakh and ₹10 lakh.
Together, the four payments totalled approximately ₹1.45 crore.
Police are examining the beneficiary accounts and subsequent movement of the funds.
This part of the investigation is crucial because cybercrime networks rarely leave large stolen amounts sitting in the first account.
Money is often rapidly shifted through several bank accounts controlled by money mules, withdrawn as cash or moved into other financial channels to make recovery harder.
What Is a ‘Digital Arrest’?
There is no legal process in India called digital arrest.
Police, NIA, CBI, ATS or courts do not arrest someone over WhatsApp or video call and do not ask people to transfer money to prove their innocence.
The term describes a cyber fraud technique where criminals impersonate officials and convince the victim that they are under constant official surveillance.
The fraudsters may show fake police stations, uniforms, arrest warrants or government documents.
They often make serious allegations involving drugs, money laundering or terror funding because such accusations create panic before the victim has time to think clearly.
The objective is not technological control over the victim’s phone.
It is psychological control over the victim himself.
Once the person believes that disconnecting the call or speaking to family could result in arrest, fraudsters can keep the deception running for days or even weeks.
Noida Has Seen the Same Pattern Repeatedly
The latest case follows several major digital-arrest frauds reported across Gautam Budh Nagar this year.
In February, a 72-year-old Surajpur resident was allegedly kept under digital arrest between February 6 and 26 and cheated of ₹1.29 crore.
Fraudsters initially posed as telecom officials before claiming that the CBI was investigating illegal transactions through an account connected with the victim. Police later arrested suspects linked to the money trail.
Another 75-year-old resident was reportedly held under digital arrest for 14 days and lost ₹75.69 lakh.
In April, a Noida resident lost ₹2.10 crore after fraudsters posing as NIA officials claimed his Aadhaar-linked accounts had been used for terror funding.
They allegedly sent fake RBI letters and forged arrest warrants through WhatsApp. Police later arrested multiple people whose accounts were allegedly used to route the money.
An 83-year-old retired doctor was also allegedly kept under digital arrest for five days in July and cheated of ₹18.50 lakh.
The repeated pattern shows that the agency name may change, but the underlying method remains almost identical: create fear, isolate the victim, claim that money must be “verified”, and move the funds before anyone outside the call can intervene.
For Noida Police, the immediate challenge is now recovering the ₹1.45 crore and identifying the people behind the accounts used in the latest case.
What this means for you: No police, NIA, ATS or CBI officer will ask you to transfer money during a video-call investigation. If anyone threatens arrest and tells you to keep the call secret, disconnect, inform your family and immediately report the attempt to 1930 and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
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