Delhi Man's 16-Day Digital Arrest Horror: 30 Questions Everyday, All Day Video Call – See Full Story

New Delhi: A man from Delhi was kept under 'digital arrest' for 16 days in a hotel in Coimbatore. Citing money laundering and other illegal activities, he was constantly monitored through 24-hour video calls and mobile screen sharing. He was made to answer 30 written questions daily under the pretext of statement recording and investigation. The fraudsters extorted Rs 1.11 crore from the victim. Based on his complaint, the Special Cell’s IFSO has registered a case and initiated an investigation.

How The Scam Unfolded?

As per the Navbharat Times report, the victim of the digital arrest was identified as Praveen, a resident of South Delhi. He is associated with an organisation in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. According to him, he was in Coimbatore from December 23, 2024, to January 8, 2025. During this period, he received voice calls on WhatsApp from two numbers displaying the logos of Cyber Crime and the CBI. One of the callers identified himself as IPS Vijay Kumar from the CBI, while the other claimed to be Head Constable Shiv Kumar from Cyber Crime. They informed Praveen that his name had surfaced in a money laundering case, stating that his Aadhaar number had been used and a bank account registered under it had been traced.

An amount of Rs 6.68 crore was allegedly transferred to a foreign country for illegal activities such as drug trafficking and human trafficking. According to the police, Praveen was shocked after receiving the sudden call. He was threatened with arrest and was told that if he was innocent, he should cooperate with the investigation. If no links were found, he would be released. However, the scammers instilled fear by claiming to have various pieces of evidence against him. When Praveen questioned them, they said his statement needed to be recorded online. For this, he was instructed to remain under surveillance using his mobile phone and laptop.

Victim Was Asked To Write Answers To 30 Questions

Reportedly, the scammers kept the victim under digital arrest in a hotel in Coimbatore from 23 December 2024 to 8 January 2025 using video calls, and mobile screen sharing. From 23 December to 26 December, they asked the victim to write answers to 30 questions daily. From 26 December to 8 January 2025, the victim transferred an additional amount of about Rs 1.11 crore to different accounts provided by the scammers in Coimbatore.

The accused had told that this money would be used for verification of bail security bond. It will be returned after 2-3 days. After the entire amount was spent, they lost contact. Later, the victim realised that it was a scam in the guise of digital arrest. In this regard, the victim lodged a complaint on the cyber crime portal. The Special Cell of Delhi Police has registered a case in this regard.

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