Bengaluru: A 57-year-old software engineer from Indiranagar was allegedly defrauded of ₹31.83 crore in an elaborate “digital arrest” scam that stretched over six months. Police registered a case after the woman revealed how a gang posing as DHL staff and senior CBI officers kept her under constant video surveillance and coerced her into making 187 bank transfers.
The ordeal began on September 15, 2024, when she received a call from someone claiming to be from DHL’s Andheri office. The caller alleged that a parcel booked in her name contained credit cards, passports and MDMA, and claimed her identity had been misused. Before she could react, the call was transferred to individuals pretending to be CBI officials, who told her that “all evidence is against you” and warned her not to approach the police.
Terrified for her family and shaken by threats of arrest, she complied when the fraudsters ordered her to install two Skype accounts and remain on video at all times. One impersonator, identifying himself as Mohit Handa, monitored her for two days, followed by Rahul Yadav, who kept watch for a week. A third man, Pradeep Singh, posed as a senior CBI officer and pressured her to “prove her innocence”.
The gang allegedly had access to her phone activity and location, worsening her fear. They produced forged documents supposedly issued by the Financial Intelligence Unit of the RBI and demanded that she verify every asset she owned.
Between September 24 and October 22, she shared extensive financial details and began transferring money as instructed. From October 24 to November 3, she deposited what the scammers described as a ₹2 crore “surety”. Later, she made more payments under the guise of “taxes”.
The woman said the fraudsters promised a “clearance letter” before her son’s engagement on December 6, and eventually sent her a fake one on December 1. The constant pressure left her physically and mentally exhausted, and she required a month of medical treatment afterwards.
Even after December, the criminals demanded additional “processing charges” and repeatedly postponed the promised refund—first to February, then to March. All communication stopped on March 26, 2025.
The victim waited until after her son’s wedding in June to file a formal complaint. She told the police she had lost ₹31.83 crore through 187 transactions and urged authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.
