Hyderabad: The Hyderabad cybercrime unit arrested three people on Saturday, November 29, for digital arrest and extorting Rs 1.92 crore from an elderly man.
The accused have been identified as Pandu Vinith Raj, 24, a resident of Kothapet; G Thirupathaiah, 40 and Gouni Vishwanatham, 46, both from Mahabubnagar. However, prime accused, 24-year-old Sandeep, is absconding.
According to police, 71-year-old Chaganti Hanumantha Rao received a call from the fraudsters impersonating Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials.
He was informed that his Aadhaar card had been misused and that “fraudsters” had opened an account in the Mumbai branch of Canara Bank.
Rao was immediately put on a video call where the accused displayed a photo of Canara Bank ATM card on his name and even sent a fake FIR of the Delhi Crime Branch.
Taking advantage of his mental agony, the accused asked Rao to transfer money in order to “clear his name.”
From November 7 to 14, the elderly man deposited a total amount of Rs 1,92,52,070 in various bank accounts.
Thirupathaiah and Vishwanatham jointly held one of the bank accounts in which the amount was transferred, police said. The accused were linked to five cases across India, including two in Telangana.
Rao later approached the Hyderabad cybercrime police.
In a public advisory, police warned that law enforcement and government agencies—including the police, CBI, ED, and customs—will never ask individuals to pay fines, security deposits, or transfer money via phone, UPI, cryptocurrency, or gift cards “to avoid arrest”.
‘Digital arrest’ is not a real or legal concept under Indian law, police said, adding that arrests are never conducted over video calls.
