A 62-year-old former teacher living alone in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj became the victim of a sophisticated ₹77 lakh digital arrest scam after searching online for sleeping pills for her neurological illness. What began as an ordinary routine spiraled into fear and manipulation when she received a call from a man posing as an officer from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), accusing her of buying “banned drugs.” With threats of arrest looming, she transferred ₹3 lakh in separate sums. 

Days later, another caller—this time pretending to be a “good cop”—offered help and returned ₹20,000 to gain her trust. Soon after, she was persuaded to join a WhatsApp video call with four men posing as officials. They asked her to share her screen to verify her bank account, and once she did, her entire net banking access was compromised. Within hours, transactions between ₹5 lakh and ₹10 lakh drained her account. 

Police launched an investigation at Delhi Police’s IFSCO Special Cell. After nine months, ACP Manoj Kumar’s team arrested Akhilesh, who led the operation. His interrogation led to four more arrests: Amjad, Shahid, Shakeel, and Hamid.