TGCSB Recovers Rs 85.20 Lakh Lost in Digital Arrest Scam in Neredmet

The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has saved Rs 85.20 lakh lost by an 85-year-old retired bank employee residing within the Neredmet police station limits under the Malkajgiri Commissionerate, after he was targeted in a digital arrest cyber fraud.

The victim was contacted on August 21 by a fraudster impersonating a National Investigation Agency (NIA) officer. The caller falsely claimed that the elderly man's Aadhaar details had been misused by an individual named Abdul Salam to open fraudulent bank accounts and carry out transactions worth approximately Rs 2.50 crore in Karnataka and Kerala.

The imposter appeared on video wearing a police or NIA-style uniform and spoke in Telugu. He threatened the victim with severe legal consequences, instructing him to maintain strict secrecy and warning that local police officers in uniform would visit his house if he disclosed the conversation to anyone, causing social embarrassment.

Believing the claims, the retired employee transferred Rs 85.20 lakh to a designated bank account under the pretext of RBI verification, having been promised that the money would be refunded once the checks were completed. When the cyber fraudster subsequently demanded an additional Rs 42 lakh, the victim became suspicious and contacted his bank, where officials informed him that he had been defrauded.

The victim immediately lodged a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). TGCSB officials traced the money trail and froze the suspect bank account at an IDFC Bank branch in Coimbatore, successfully securing the entire Rs 85.20 lakh transferred by the victim.

The case has since been transferred to the Cyber Crime Police Station (CCPS), Malkajgiri, for further legal proceedings.