Bengaluru, June 13: For nearly two months, fraudsters virtually held an elderly couple on digital arrest in Bengaluru’s JP Nagar, extorting a staggering INR 4.8 crore. The victims, a 77-year-old retired engineer and his wife, were manipulated into believing they were under investigation by national agencies. Isolated and terrified, they followed every instruction from the scammers posing as bank officials, CBI, and ED officials. Their nightmare only ended when alert cybercrime officers from Chennai tipped off Bengaluru police.

According to a report by the Times of India, the fraud began on March 19 when KS Manjunatha, the retired engineer, received a call claiming their bank account was linked to illegal transactions. The callers said a case had been registered in Mumbai, requiring their cooperation with agencies like the CBI and Enforcement Directorate. Over 58 harrowing days, the scammers pressured the couple to transfer money to so-called “secure government accounts” for cross-verification, deepening their fear and confusion. Digital Arrest in Bengaluru: Elderly Man Held ‘Captive’ for 11 Days, Duped of INR 89 Lakh in Cyber Scam.

The case took a crucial turn when Chennai cybercrime officials investigating a similar scam involving an INR 55 lakh loss noticed connections to the couple’s account. They alerted Bengaluru police, prompting DCP South-East Sarah Fathima to lead a swift operation. Despite jurisdictional hurdles, police visited the couple’s home, only to find them too terrified to trust them, still believing they were under official probe. Who Is Digital Arrest Scam Mastermind Chirag Kapoor Aka Chintak Raj, Arrested After Kerala Police Solved 930 Cases?

It was only after their son, a software engineer, intervened that the couple realised the truth and filed a formal complaint. Police investigations traced the laundered funds to bank accounts held by Hyderabad businessmen Eashwar Singh and Narayan Singh Choudary. While not directly involved in the scam, both were arrested for allowing their accounts to be used to move the stolen money, exposing a larger cybercrime syndicate operating across states and linked to illegal casinos.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 13, 2025 02:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).