An elderly couple in Machilipatnam lost ₹1.43 crore to cyber fraudsters posing as Delhi Police officers between July 10 and July 29, while separate police interventions in Sabarkantha and South Africa thwarted parallel scams targeting elderly victims through digital arrests and romance fraud.
The Anatomy of a ₹1.43 Crore Digital Arrest Scam in Machilipatnam
An elderly couple living in Machilipatnam within the Krishna district fell victim to an elaborate extortion scheme orchestrated by scammers posing as Delhi Police officers. According to police reports, the fraudsters initiated contact via WhatsApp video calls, asserting that the victims’ bank account had direct ties to a bank card implicated in a massive ₹587-crore money laundering case.
To cement the illusion of legal jeopardy, the callers claimed that formal arrest warrants had already been issued against the couple. Pressured by the threat of imminent detention, the victims transferred a total of ₹1.43 crore across three separate instalments drawn from three distinct bank accounts between July 10 and July 29.
The scheme unravelled only when the perpetrators demanded an additional ₹95 lakh, instructing the couple to mortgage their remaining gold and silver ornaments. After consulting an acquaintance, the victims realised they had been manipulated and filed a formal police complaint. Local law enforcement has since registered a case and initiated tracking operations to locate the cyber criminals.
Vigilant Bank Staff and Police Intervene in Sabarkantha Digital Arrest Plot
A parallel digital arrest attempt was successfully intercepted in Gujarat, where the Sabarkantha Cyber Crime Police rescued a 75-year-old couple subjected to three days of psychological manipulation. The fraudsters in this instance impersonated Mumbai Police officers, claiming that the husband—identified as Rasikbhai Modi—had an Aadhaar-linked SIM card tied to a financial fraud involving an individual named “Naresh Goyal”.
According to a Sabarkantha Cyber Crime Police release, the incident involved cyber fraud and resulted in the rescue of a 75-year-old couple who had been psychologically manipulated by fraudsters posing as Mumbai Police officers.
The scammers maintained continuous video contact for three days to prevent the victims from verifying information or seeking outside help. Demanding funds to clear their names, the perpetrators ordered the couple to melt 25 tolas of gold into bars and liquidate a ₹2 lakh fixed deposit.
The plot collapsed when the couple arrived at a local bank branch to execute the financial transactions. A sharp-eyed bank employee noticed their visible distress, suspected foul play, and immediately alerted the Sabarkantha Cyber Crime Police. Responding officers arrived quickly, counselled the victims, and stopped the transfer of both cash and gold.
Following the incident, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi directed law enforcement agencies to offer immediate support to vulnerable citizens, having recently convened with senior police and banking officials to bolster inter-agency coordination against financial crime.
Two More Arrests Made in South African Romance Scam Targeting Pensioner
Half a world away, law enforcement in South Africa expanded a separate investigation into an extensive romance fraud operation that defrauded an elderly woman of more than R14 million between 2017 and 2018.
Western Cape police arrested two additional suspects, aged 37 and 46, bringing the total number of accused individuals in the case to seven. According to the Hawks, the fraudsters built fake profiles on dating sites to groom the victim.
Lieutenant Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi, spokesperson for the Hawks in the Western Cape, stated that the alleged lover reportedly lured the victim by using flirtatious language, leading her to believe they were in a genuine relationship.
Investigators noted that the scheme relied on manufactured emergencies, including urgent fines and failed travel plans, to prompt continuous money transfers into various bank accounts. The suspects will appear in the Muizenberg Magistrate’s Court alongside five co-accused individuals arrested earlier in the year, facing formal charges of fraud and money laundering.
