Mumbai, February 13: A retired public sector officer and his wife narrowly escaped a major financial loss in Odisha's Bhubaneswar after being held under a "digital arrest" for over 35 hours by cyber fraudsters. The ordeal, which concluded late Tuesday, February 10, saw the couple confined to their home in the Nayapalli area while scammers posing as federal investigators demanded a ransom of INR 1 crore.

Authorities confirmed on Thursday, February 12, that although the couple was coerced into attempting a massive transfer, the transaction failed because the fraudsters provided a non-functional bank account. Odisha Shocker: Class 10 Student Dies of Electrocution While Lowering National Flag After Republic Day 2026 Event in Jagatsinghpur.

The Anatomy of the Deception

The victims, identified as Saroj Kumar Patnaik, a retired PSU official, and his wife Nirjharani, a retired lecturer, were targeted via a sophisticated video call. The fraudsters alleged that a terrorist had used Saroj’s Aadhaar card for illegal activities and claimed an arrest warrant had been issued against them. To add a layer of authenticity, the miscreants shared forged legal documents through a messaging app.

Under the guise of an "investigation," the scammers forced the couple to remain under continuous video surveillance. They were instructed not to leave their house or contact anyone, effectively placing them under a "digital arrest" - a psychological tactic used to isolate victims and pressure them into making hasty financial decisions.

Escape and Police Intervention

The standoff ended around 10:30 PM on Tuesday after the couple managed to alert friends to their situation. Following their friends' advice, they switched off their mobile phones to break the digital link with the scammers and immediately approached the Cyber Police Station to lodge a formal complaint. Investigators noted that the couple went to the bank to initiate the INR 1 crore transfer, but the discovery of the inactive destination account served as the turning point that exposed the fraud. Digital Arrest Scam in Odisha: Under ‘Digital Arrest’, Berhampur University Vice Chancellor Geetanjali Dash Loses INR 14 Lakh.

Rising Trend of 'Digital Arrests'

This incident is part of a surging wave of cybercrime across India. Just days ago, on February 9, the Supreme Court of India characterised the siphoning of over INR 54,000 crore through digital arrests as "absolute robbery" and directed the Centre to establish a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to combat the menace. ACP Biswaranjan Senapati of the Bhubaneswar Cyber Police highlighted that senior citizens and retired employees are prime targets due to their life savings. "Such vulnerable people need to be very careful," he added.

TruLY Score by LatestLY
Rating:4

TruLY Score 4 – Reliable | On a Trust Scale of 0-5 this article has scored 4 on LatestLY. The information comes from reputable news agencies like (PTI). While not an official source, it meets professional journalism standards and can be confidently shared with your friends and family, though some updates may follow.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 13, 2026 11:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).