From FDs to House Sale: How a Gujarat doctor lost Rs 19 crore in Digital Arrest Scam

Ahmedabad: On a quiet Sunday in mid‑March, a renowned woman doctor from Gandhinagar received a call she believed was from a government official. But it turned out to be the start of a three-month-long fraud from March to June, where she was trapped in a 'digital arrest' by a cyber gang operating from Cambodia and India. During this time, the fraudsters managed to siphon off over Rs 19 crore from her, making it India’s longest‑running "digital arrest" cyber scam.

The extent of the manipulation was so extreme that the doctor was forced to break her Fixed Deposits (FDs), sell the gold she had at home, take loans against the gold kept in her bank locker, sell her house, and even dispose of the shares in her stock market portfolio to pay the accused over Rs 19 crore.

What happened?

On March 15, 2025, the doctor received a call from someone identifying herself as Jyoti Vishwanath of the Department of Telecommunications. Within hours, other callers posing as Police Sub-Inspector Mohan Singh, Public Prosecutor Deepak Saini, Public Prosecutor Venkateswara, and Notary Officer Pawan Kumar began calling her. The victim was called from different numbers.

In the call, the woman was told, "All your mobile phones will be shut down because offensive messages are repeatedly being posted to many people from your phone. For this, an FIR will have to be filed against you. A money laundering offence has been registered in this case, and for that, charges will be filed under the Foreign Exchange Management (FEMA) Act and Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) Act, Government of India sections."

Also read- Delhi doctor conned of Rs 15 lakh in digital arrest scam

The accused also sent a fake letter in which the Enforcement Directorate (ED) named the doctor as an accused in a case for alleged violations in FEMA and PMLA. Further, they asked her not to disclose the matter to anyone.

Over the next 90 days, the fraudsters claimed to monitor her every move. They claimed plainclothes officers were monitoring her and demanded details of all her assets. To prove she was complying, the doctor had to make video calls and share her live location wherever she went.

Even during her nephew’s three-day wedding in Surat, she secretly made daily video calls, showing scenes from the venue to prove her presence. This indicates the severe psychological pressure imposed on her by the fraudsters.

Over time, they made her sell home gold, deposit household cash, break FDs, take loans on locker gold, and sell shares and property. By July 26, she was made to transfer over Rs 19 crore into 35 different bank accounts on a fake receipt of ‘Financial Supervisionary Freezing Certificate’ for the same under the pretext of returning the money following an investigation. However, they never received the money back, and when she asked, they claimed the money was frozen and stopped all contact.

After discussing with family, the woman realised it was a cyber scam. A case has been registered with the Gandhinagar Cyber Crime against five accused and 35 account holders, reports Bhaskar.

On July 16, Gujarat’s CID Crime Branch registered a case against 35 account holders and five key accused. One of them, identified as Laljibhai Jayantibhai Baldaniya of Surat, was arrested after investigators discovered that at least Rs 1 crore had passed through his account.

CID Crime believes this is India’s first case where over Rs 19 crore was extorted during a 3-month digital arrest. Though the woman moved freely and met people, previous cases involved amounts up to Rs 7 crore or less.

Cambodia connection revealed

The initial investigation into the massive cyber fraud case has revealed the involvement of two interconnected groups - an international gang operating out of Cambodia and a domestic network based in an Indian state. The Gandhinagar Cyber Cell is currently carrying out an in-depth probe into the matter.

According to officials, the international gang, in collaboration with Indian fraudsters, first gathered information about the victim’s financial assets. With this data, they created a detailed plan that eventually led to the doctor losing over Rs 19 crore.

To crack the case, the Gujarat CID has formed four specialised teams - one to trace bank accounts, one for social media, another for ground investigations, and the fourth to track mobile numbers.

Though Cambodian gangs have duped Indians before, the Gujarat Police have yet to nab a major gang. An investigation is underway in this regard.

Also read- In 8 days of digital arrest, Elderly doctor loses Rs 3 crore