Kochi Cyber Police recover ₹1.06 cr lost in ‘digital arrest’ scam targeting elderly doctor

Kochi: In a significant breakthrough against organised cyber-fraud networks, the Kochi City Cyber Crime Police have recovered ₹1.06 crore that an 81-year-old retired doctor lost in a sophisticated “digital arrest” scam. The victim, a resident of Chittoor Road in Kochi, had been duped of a total of ₹1.30 crore by fraudsters impersonating officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in November 2025.

According to police, the scam began on November 1 when the doctor received phone and WhatsApp calls from the accused, who identified themselves as senior investigative officers. The suspects, named in the First Information Report (FIR) as Devilal Singh, Pranav Dhayal and other unidentified accomplices, allegedly used intimidation and psychological manipulation to trap the elderly victim.

The callers claimed that a secondary mobile number registered in the doctor’s name was linked to serious criminal activities. Over the next four days, they kept him under digital arrest and forced him to remain on video or voice calls while being threatened with immediate legal action.

During this period, the fraudsters told the doctor that his finances needed to undergo “official verification” to prove that his money was not linked to illegal activities. Under pressure and believing the instructions to be legitimate, the victim transferred his life savings, totalling ₹1.30 crore, to multiple bank accounts provided by the scammers.

Realising later that he had been cheated, the doctor approached the Kochi City Cyber Crime Police on November 6. The police said that the immediate reporting of the incident proved crucial in tracing the money trail.

Cyber Police officers quickly uploaded the complaint details on the National Cyber Crime Portal and began tracking the transactions. The police found that a large portion of the transferred funds had reached a private bank account in Srinagar.

Acting swiftly, the cybercrime team managed to freeze ₹1.06 crore in the account before the accused could withdraw or further route the funds through mule accounts.

Following court intervention and completion of legal formalities, the frozen amount was restored to the victim’s bank account earlier this week.

“The prompt reporting of the crime was the turning point. By uploading the details on the National Portal immediately, we were able to intercept the money trail in Srinagar before the funds were layered through multiple accounts,” a senior police officer said.

The police said efforts are continuing to trace and recover the remaining ₹24 lakh and identify all those involved in the interstate cyber-fraud network.

The case has been registered under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 316 (criminal breach of trust), Section 318 (cheating), Section 351 (criminal intimidation), along with Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, which deals with cheating by personation using computer resources.

The incident also comes amid Operation Cy-Hunt, a statewide crackdown on organised cybercrime in Kerala that recently led to the arrest of 284 individuals allegedly involved in cyber fraud and facilitating illegal financial transactions.

Meanwhile, police have reiterated a public advisory warning citizens, especially senior citizens, about such scams. Authorities emphasised that no government agency, including the CBI or police, will ever conduct a “digital arrest” or demand money transfers over phone or video calls.

Victims of cyber fraud are urged to report incidents immediately through the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) or the official cyber crime portal, as early reporting significantly improves the chances of freezing stolen funds.