- By Aditya Jha
- Tue, 23 Sep 2025 11:40 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A 78-year-old former banker on Tuesday expressed grief and disappointment after losing a whopping Rs 23 crore to a fake "digital arrest". Naresh Malhotra, the victim, stated that he lost his whole life's savings due to lack of awareness and trusting the wrong people, further urging everyone else to be more careful. Malhotra received a phone call from a man claiming to be from a mobile connection company who told the former banker that his Aadhaar Card was used in fraudulent transactions. The victim contacted the fake officials, who kept him under fake house arrest for more than a month, taking over all his life savings.
"I spent my life savings building security for my old age. In one month, it all disappeared because I trusted the wrong people. I hope my story serves as a warning," Malhotra was quoted as saying by PTI. He further stated that the fraudsters directed him to contact the Mumbai Police to resolve the matter. "They told me that I needed to talk to the Mumbai Police regarding the same matter, and if they approved, the connection would continue, or else it would be disconnected and the matter reported," Malhotra added.
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Apart from this, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of Delhi Police stated that they have managed to freeze Rs 2.67 crore of the cheated amount. The officials stated that more than 4,000 layered accounts were used to siphon off the funds.
"The money trail revealed that the funds were layered across multiple accounts and withdrawn from different parts of the country to evade detection. Over 4,000 layered accounts were used to siphon off the funds," an officer was quoted as saying by PTI. "We will crack the case soon and arrest those behind the scam," the officer added.