Jabalpur Senior Citizen Couple Loses ₹22 Lakh After 13-Day ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam

A senior citizen couple from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, reportedly lost ₹22 lakh in a 13-day "digital arrest" scam carried out by cyber fraudsters posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials. The suspects threatened the elderly couple, Prakash Paul Shejwal and his wife, with serious criminal charges, including money laundering and drug trafficking, to force them to transfer money.

The fraudsters contacted the victims on July 22, allegedly sending a fake letter from the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and threatening further legal action if their demands were not met. Over two weeks, the scammers pressured the couple to break a fixed deposit, withdrawing around ₹21 lakh and transferring it to accounts provided by the criminals.

The victims only realized they had been duped when they received fake receipts from government agencies, believing the transaction was part of an official investigation. The couple subsequently reported the incident to the police, leading to the registration of a case and the initiation of an investigation into the cyber criminals behind the scam.

Authorities have previously warned the public, especially senior citizens, about the dangers of such digital arrest schemes, emphasizing that legitimate government agencies like the CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED), and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) do not conduct investigations or arrests through video calls or demand money transfers over the phone.