An 85-year-old resident of Lucknow fell victim to a chilling cyber fraud. ( Representational AI image)

27 days of fear: Elderly man digitally arrested in Lucknow, loses Rs 84.5 lakh

Scammers posing as police and ATS officials kept an 85-year-old Lucknow man under a so-called digital arrest and took Rs 84.5 lakh from him. The case highlights how fraudsters are using forged documents and threats of legal action to exploit fear.

by · India Today

In Short

  • The fraud began on March 7 with a call alleging laundering links
  • Callers claimed a fake HDFC Bank account was used for illegal transactions
  • Forged papers citing the NIA, Supreme Court and RBI were shared

An 85-year-old resident of Lucknow fell victim to a chilling cyberfraud, where scammers posing as police and ATS officials allegedlyextorted Rs 84.5 lakh by trapping him in a prolonged “digitalarrest”.

The victim,Badruddin Ansari, a resident of Janakipuram’s Sector-G, reportedthat the ordeal began on March 7 with a phone call from a manclaiming to be a senior inspector from the Lucknow policeheadquarters. The caller warned him that his name had surfaced in amoney laundering case in Pune and alleged that a fake HDFC Bankaccount had been opened in his name for illegal transactions.

What followed wasnearly a month of relentless psychological pressure. The fraudsterssent forged documents via WhatsApp and Signal, bearing names ofagencies like the NIA, Supreme Court, and RBI, to make their claimsappear legitimate. Multiple callers, introducing themselves as ATSofficials, stayed in constant touch, threatening arrest and legalaction.

Gripped by fear, theelderly man complied. Between March 11 and April 4, he transferred astaggering Rs 84.5 lakh into various accounts controlled by thescammers.

The nightmare onlyended when Ansari, deeply shaken, approached the cyber police after21 days. A case has been registered, and investigators have managedto freeze Rs 27 lakh so far. Efforts are underway to trace andrecover the remaining amount.

Police officials saythe case underscores the growing menace of “digital arrest”scams, where criminals exploit fear and authority to manipulatevictims into financial ruin.

- Ends