Jaipur ex-district judge held under 15-day ‘digital arrest’, loses Rs 2.5 crore

A 90-year-old ex-district judge, Ganpat Singh Bhandari, was defrauded of Rs 2.5 crore by fraudsters who impersonated CBI officials and an RBI manager. The deception lasted approximately 15 days, resulting in the victim being under a 15-day "digital arrest." The incident came to light when an SBI manager prevented Bhandari from transferring additional funds from his Public Provident Fund (PPF) account.

Following this, a case was registered at Jaipur's Jyoti Nagar police station based on a complaint from Bhandari's nephew. According to the FIR, the fraudsters contacted Bhandari via WhatsApp on July 28, posing as a CBI officer from Mumbai. The caller falsely claimed that police authorities had detected a Rs 50 crore hawala transaction, with Rs 40 lakh deposited into Bhandari's SBI account.

The fraudsters threatened arrest and instructed Bhandari not to disclose the information. Later, another person claiming to be an RBI manager contacted Bhandari, requesting details of his financial investments, including mutual fund holdings. Bhandari complied and shared relevant information with the callers. The fraudsters then directed Bhandari to transfer money to various bank accounts under the guise of aiding the investigation.

After each conversation, the accused instructed Bhandari to delete WhatsApp chats, call logs, and other messages to prevent exposure to his family. The fraudsters subsequently urged Bhandari to transfer money from his PPF account as well. When Bhandari visited the SBI branch in Johari Bazaar on Wednesday, the bank manager became suspicious and halted the transaction, recognizing the victim's potential involvement in a cyber fraud.

The manager alerted Bhandari to the fraudulent activity, and Bhandari subsequently informed his nephew, who reported the matter to the Jyoti Nagar police. The case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, with further investigation currently underway.