Police say the fraudsters subjected the woman to continuous psychological pressure and intimidation from January till May this year.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
In what is being described as Karnataka’s biggest “digital arrest” cyberfraud case, sleuths of the Karnataka State Cyber Command have busted a massive online scam and arrested six accused for allegedly cheating an elderly woman of nearly ₹24 crore, posing as officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The police have been able to save around ₹5.46 crore.
The victim, a resident of Shivajinagar, had earlier worked as a teacher in Dubai before retiring. The police said she had sold several properties in Bengaluru and Mumbai and was planning to relocate to the U.S. to live with her children.
According to investigators, the accused contacted the woman through video calls while impersonating the CBI officials. They allegedly told her that her bank accounts were linked to a money laundering case and warned her not to disclose the matter to anyone, claiming she was under “digital arrest”.
The police said the fraudsters subjected the woman to continuous psychological pressure and intimidation from January till May this year. Under the pretext of “verification” and “clearance” of funds, the accused allegedly convinced her to transfer money through RTGS transactions to multiple bank accounts.
During the course of the fraud, the victim allegedly transferred nearly ₹24 crore to 22 different bank accounts operated by the accused.
Despite receiving such a huge amount, the fraudsters allegedly continued demanding more money. In a desperate attempt to arrange funds, the woman reportedly approached a private back in Bengaluru to pledge around 1.3 kg of gold jewellery.
Bank officials became suspicious after noticing the unusually large quantity of gold ornaments being brought for pledging and immediately alerted the police.
The cybercrime police rushed to the bank and questioned the woman. Though initially reluctant to reveal details, she later disclosed that she was “digitally arrested”. The police educated her as to how she was defrauded, which prompted her to lodge a complaint.
Based on her complaint, the cybercrime police registered a case and launched an investigation. During the probe, the Cyber Command Unit tracked multiple bank accounts allegedly used for layering and laundering the proceeds of crime. With the help of the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), the police froze several mule accounts and managed to save more than ₹4 crore. Additionally, the investigators recovered ₹1.46 crore through court orders. The police also seized six mobile phones allegedly used in the commission of the crime.
They have arrested six persons, identified as N. Sivagnanam from Erode, Tamil Nadu; Akkach Mallick from Mumbai, Maharashtra; Palak Bhai Patel and Amit Narendra Patel from Ahmedabad, Gujarat; Om Prakash Rajput from New Delhi, and Gaurav Kumar from Bihar.
The case is being investigated further to trace the wider cyberfraud network and identify other persons involved, said Pronab Mohanty, Director-General of Police, Karnataka State Cyber Command.
Published – May 24, 2026 01:42 pm IST
