Gujarat teacher held under digital arrest for 28 days, duped of nearly Rs 1 crore

The accused used forged documents bearing the name of the Supreme Court of India to intimidate the victim with a fake money laundering case. Police have registered a cyber fraud case and launched an investigation.

A 65-year-old retired school teacher from Gujarat’s Gandhinagar was allegedly held under a prolonged “digital arrest” for nearly a month and duped of Rs 99 lakh by cyber fraudsters posing as central investigation officials, police said.

The case, now under investigation by the Gandhinagar Range Cyber Crime Police, highlights the growing sophistication of online scams despite repeated public awareness campaigns by authorities against such fraud.

According to the complaint, the woman, a resident of Sector 8 in Gandhinagar, received a phone call on January 16 from an unknown number claiming that a SIM card issued in her name was being used for illegal activities and threat calls.

Soon after, she was contacted via video call by a man identifying himself as “Ajay Gupta”, who allegedly posed as a CBI officer. The caller claimed that her bank accounts were linked to a money laundering investigation involving an accused individual and warned her of imminent arrest.

Police said the fraudsters also impersonated officials from the Department of Telecommunications to reinforce the threat.

To make the claims appear genuine, the accused allegedly sent forged documents through WhatsApp, including fabricated orders bearing the name of the Supreme Court of India, arrest warrants and purported records from the Mumbai Crime Branch.