Ex-district judge, 90, kept under ‘digital arrest’, cheated of ₹2.5 cr in Jaipur

A 90-year-old former district judge in Jaipur, Ganpat Singh Bhandari, was allegedly subjected to a 15-day "digital arrest" and cheated of approximately ₹2.5 crore by imposters posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials, according to police. The fraudsters threatened to arrest Bhandari in connection with a supposed ₹50-crore hawala transaction and kept him under constant surveillance via video calls, pressuring him to transfer money to multiple bank accounts.

His nephew, Ravindra Singh Mohanaut, reported the incident to the Jyoti Nagar police station. The fraudsters allegedly convinced Bhandari that his bank accounts were under investigation in a major financial crime, threatening arrest if he did not cooperate. They instructed him to transfer around ₹2.5 crore into specified accounts between August 3 and August 10, threatening to expose his family and public shame if he resisted.

Upon reaching his bank branch to complete the transfer, a bank manager became suspicious and stopped the transaction, alerting Bhandari to the potential fraud. The police are currently investigating the remaining money and the identity of the perpetrators behind the alleged cyber fraud.