Hyderabad Faces Wave of Digital Arrest Scams; Elderly Man Loses Nearly ₹2 Crore
Hyderabad Faces Wave of Digital Arrest Scams; Elderly Man Loses Nearly ₹2 Crore
Hyderabad sees a surge in digital arrest scams, with a 71-year-old victim losing nearly ₹2 crore as police arrest multiple suspects in related fraud cases.
Hyderabad has seen a spate of digital arrest scams, with alarming consequences for elderly and middle-aged residents alike. In one high-profile case, a 71-year-old man, Chaganti Hanumantha Rao, was contacted by fraudsters who claimed a case had been registered against him for alleged misuse of his Aadhaar card. He was warned that his bank accounts would be frozen and that he could face arrest, then pressured to transfer money to multiple bank accounts after being shown forged documents and a fake ATM card. The scammers even moved to video calls, displaying a doctored FIR and a fake identity card to increase the impression of legitimacy. The victim ultimately transferred funds across several accounts before the operation terminated the connection.
In a separate investigation, the city’s Cyber Crime Police arrested three men—Pandu Vinith Raj, 24, Thirupathaiah, 40, and Gouni Vishwanatham, 46—in connection with a ₹1.92 crore digital arrest scam. An officer noted that another suspect, Sandeep (aka Alex), remains absconding. The police said Vinith Raj supplied bank accounts, while Thirupathaiah and Vishwanatham operated one of the accounts used to collect deposits. The ring was tied to five similar cases across India. Authorities seized four mobile phones during the raid, highlighting the group’s pattern of luring victims through WhatsApp messages, promising high returns on investments, and then freezing withdrawals after deposits were made.
Earlier, Hyderabad police also busted a separate stock-trading fraud involving two Navi Mumbai men, Ravi Kumar Lal, 38, and Shivendra Ashok Singh, 32, who allegedly swindled a Hyderabad resident of ₹12.3 lakh through a bogus investment scheme. The suspects used OTPs obtained through an APK to an accomplice in Pune, with mule bank accounts handling the stolen funds. Victims were lured to a fake trading platform and shown fabricated profits before the platform redirected withdrawals and reduced access when large sums were deposited. Police recovered four mobile phones and three cheque books from the duo, who were part of a wider network of frauds across the country.
Officials advised residents to stay vigilant, avoid sharing OTPs or personal data, and to report suspicious calls to 1930 or through the national cybercrime reporting portal. The rapid churn of such scams has placed Hyderabad among metros facing significant cybercrime pressure, underscoring the need for continuous public awareness and stronger safeguards in digital financial dealings.
Cover image source: Cyber Crime Unit arrests three in ₹1.92 crore digital arrest scam 🔗
