A 75-year-old woman undergoing cancer treatment in Delhi was allegedly coerced into surrendering her savings, gold jewellery, and original ownership papers to her home valued at over ₹2 crore during a 22-day digital arrest operation. The perpetrators impersonated officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate, subjecting the elderly resident to continuous video surveillance and threatening the immediate arrest of her children on fabricated national security and money-laundering charges. The intimidation culminated in physical visits to her residence, where individuals obtained possession of her title deeds and had her sign sale agreements under false pretenses.
The ordeal began on April 6 when the woman received an unsolicited landline call from individuals claiming her mobile number was connected to an ongoing money-laundering inquiry. When she explained that she lived alone, the callers moved the interaction to a WhatsApp video call. The men appeared on camera wearing police uniforms to simulate authentic law-enforcement credentials. Warning her that she and her family could be jailed within 30 minutes without bail, the callers ordered her to maintain a non-stop video feed and strictly barred her from disclosing the proceedings to anyone.
Liquidation of Bank Savings and Pledging of Gold Jewellery
Operating under sustained psychological pressure, the victim complied with instructions to disclose her financial holdings. On orders from the syndicate, she visited the Bank of Maharashtra branch in Vasant Kunj and remitted ₹3 lakh into an account designated by the callers.
The following day, the callers instructed her to take her gold jewellery to Muthoot Fincorp. She deposited 83.5 grams of ornaments, comprising two bangles, two chains including one with a locket, and four studs, to secure a gold loan amounting to approximately ₹4.95 lakh. That sum was also wired directly into the fraudulent accounts. Despite her repeated pleas to end the harassment, the callers informed her that further procedures regarding her assets would be completed directly at her residence.
Surrender of Property Deeds and Forced Sale Documentation
The fraudsters subsequently turned their attention to her residential property, valued at more than ₹2 crore. A man identifying himself as property dealer Sushant Kumar contacted her via WhatsApp and visited her house on April 13, taking custody of the original property documents alongside photocopies without providing an acknowledgement receipt. Two days later, Kumar returned accompanied by two individuals who introduced themselves as buyer Anil Kapoor and witness Praveen Chadha.
During this visit, the victim was made to sign an advance receipt-cum-agreement to sell the house alongside several other documents without receiving full explanations of their legal consequences. Throughout the process, the gang falsely assured her that all funds, gold ornaments, and title deeds would be returned once the purported investigation concluded.
Bank Transfers, High Court Petition, and Overseas Links
On April 17, two cheques amounting to ₹23 lakh and ₹10 lakh were credited to the victim’s bank account. Over that day and the next, withdrawals of ₹21 lakh and ₹3 lakh were carried out, with the capital routed to an entity styled as the Savitri Bai Phule Educational Welfare Society. The communication ceased on April 23, prompting the woman to realize she had been defrauded. An e-FIR was registered on April 27. When her daughter arrived in Delhi and confronted Kumar for the title deeds, he reportedly demanded ₹24 lakh to surrender them, though Kumar later claimed to have been misled by an imposter posing as the woman’s son.
The case escalated to the Delhi High Court, where the victim’s daughter filed a petition seeking a CBI investigation into the racket. In their status report to the court, the Delhi Police stated that Kumar’s complicity had not been established, while ongoing investigations have linked the broader syndicate to cyber fraud networks operating out of Cambodia.
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