A retired railway officer in Indore was allegedly cheated of ₹45 lakh after cyber fraudsters posed as officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and kept him under psychological pressure through continuous video calls for nearly 24 hours. State Cyber Police have arrested one accused, Hirad Kansara, from Vadodara in Gujarat.
Authorities have frozen around ₹15 lakh during the investigation and the amount has been returned to the victim. Police are now tracing other members of the suspected interstate cybercrime network and examining the financial trail linked to the fraud.
Fraudsters Posed as TRAI Officials
According to the complaint, the victim first received a call from an unidentified person claiming to be a TRAI official. The caller alleged that the victim’s mobile number had been used for illegal activities and warned that legal action could be initiated against him.
Soon after, the victim allegedly received multiple calls from persons posing as officials of different government agencies. Investigators said the accused created fear and psychological pressure to make the victim believe that he was under official scrutiny.
Preliminary findings indicate that the fraudsters used video calls and online communication platforms, including Skype, to keep the victim under a so-called digital house arrest for nearly 24 hours.
₹15 Lakh Frozen and Returned
During the alleged confinement over video calls, the accused reportedly obtained sensitive personal information, including banking details and identity documents.
Investigators said the fraudsters pressured the victim to transfer funds from his bank accounts to designated accounts under the pretext of account verification and cooperation with an official investigation.
Believing the claims and fearing legal consequences, the retired officer allegedly transferred around ₹45 lakh to multiple accounts controlled by the fraudsters. The deception came to light after he discussed the matter with family members living abroad, who told him that no government agency conducts investigations or places people under digital house arrest through video calls.
Interstate Network Under Investigation
After the victim filed a complaint with the State Cyber Cell, investigators analysed mobile numbers, banking transactions and digital evidence linked to the case. Through coordination with financial institutions, authorities froze approximately ₹15 lakh, which has since been credited back to the victim.
A case is being investigated under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.
Based on the banking records and financial trail, police arrested Hirad Kansara from Vadodara. According to investigating agencies, he allegedly operated placement companies and is reported to have faced previous fraud-related cases in Gujarat as well as another alleged digital house arrest case in Haryana. Authorities are questioning him to identify other syndicate members, beneficiary accounts and the wider financial network involved in the fraud.
