An SBI manager saved ₹79 lakh belonging to the victim, which the latter was all set to transfer to the scam accused
Fraud case: The teacher had received and she was informed that her name had appeared in a ₹300-crore scam. Photo: Special Arrangement
An alert bank manager with the State Bank of India (SBI) in central Delhi saved a 68-year-old retired school teacher from becoming a victim of a “digital arrest” scam a few days ago. The manager saved ₹79 lakh belonging to the victim, which the latter was all set to transfer to the scam accused.
From January 1 to November 15, 2024, as many as 92,323 cases of digital arrests were reported across the country with the swindled amount pegged at ₹2,140.99 crore.
The crime pertains to fraudsters collecting personal information and making phone/video calls to prospective victims, posing as officials from various law enforcement agencies, and at times from the Reserve Bank of India to extort money by creating an atmosphere of fear.
The school teacher who lives alone received a call on December 21 that her name had appeared in a ₹300 crore scam involving Canara Bank and she needed to cooperate with the police if she wanted her name cleared from the investigation.
Minutes later, an unidentified accused made an audio call on WhatsApp which displayed the logo of Delhi Police.
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“The victim was told that she was being watched and she should disclose all her savings and bank accounts in her name. The fraudsters told her that they would run a sanitisation check to ensure that the money was earned through legal means and later the entire amount would be returned to her with 4% interest,” the bank manager who did not wish to be identified told The Hindu.
The bank manager said she sensed something was wrong when the senior citizen came to her first to transfer ₹20 lakh to a bank account in Gujarat on December 24.
“She had been our customer since September 2024. Being a school teacher, she was particular about even the smallest deduction from her account. When she came on December 24, she was not her usual self. She kept sipping water and when I asked why she wanted to dissolve her senior citizens savings certificate. She replied that I should mind my own business,” the bank manager said.
She added that the victim kept looking into her phone and as the mobile network is patchy in the bank, she stepped out several times to speak to someone on phone.
“Her account was few thousand of rupees short of ₹20 lakh. She asked me to put some money on her behalf and transfer it to another SBI account in Gujarat. I eventually transferred the available money — ₹19 lakh — but put a hold on the transaction. She said that I should let her click a picture of the voucher as a proof, which I refused,” she said.
The bank manager said that on her repeated questions about the purpose of the transaction, the victim said she was speaking to her brother-in-law who was acting as an intermediary for a property she intended to purchase in Gujarat.
On December 27, the victim returned, this time to dissolve another savings scheme worth ₹30 lakh and simultaneously initiated the redemption of mutual funds worth ₹30 lakh.
The bank manager had warned other bank employees to not entertain her request if she comes back again. “When none of the employees processed her request, she came to me and asked to transfer ₹30 lakh to another bank’s account. This time I refused to transmit any money unless someone from her family arrived,” she said.
The bank manager said that by this time the victim was “agitated as well as scared”. “On the steps of the bank she was pleading with someone on phone. I was watching her movement on CCTV. I walked out and took the phone from her. The person on the other end replied that he is the brother-in-law. When I asked about the sister’s name, he was silent and on continuous probing disconnected the call,” she further said.
The victim collapsed at the bank’s gate shuddering with fear, the manager said, adding that the woman was worried that if the money is not arranged, she would be arrested. “I had recently undergone a training on digital arrests and understood that she was being conned. We counselled her and told there was nothing to worry about. We informed her son-in-law who came and the family registered a police case,” the manager said.
“The accused watched her movement 24/7. The chats between them suggested that she needed their permission even to buy vegetables. She was virtually held hostage for six days till she came to the bank. The scammers convinced her that even the rickshaw pullers in the area were the agents of the police and she was under surveillance,” the bank manager said. The victim had earlier transferred ₹35 lakh from another bank account to the accused.
Delhi Police registered a case under Section 308 (2) (extortion), 319 (2) (cheating by personation), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
A police officer said that no arrests have been made yet but ₹19 lakh that was blocked by SBI has been restored to the victim’s account.
Published – January 13, 2025 11:01 pm IST
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