Elderly businesswoman duped of Rs 6.9 crore in digital arrest scam in Delhi

New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) A 69-year-old businesswoman was allegedly cheated of Rs 6.9 crore after being kept under 'digital arrest' for nine days by cyber fraudsters in south Delhi’s Greater Kailash area, police said on Thursday.

The victim, identified as Meenakshi Ahuja, runs a furniture business and lives alone at her residence after her husband passed away four years ago. She has two children, a son settled in Australia and a daughter who is married and lives in Gurugram, they said.

According to police, the fraudsters placed Ahuja under continuous digital surveillance between January 5 and January 13 by posing as law enforcement and investigative authorities.

They threatened her with dire consequences, claiming she was involved in money laundering and other illegal activities, and warned that her arrest was near.

"The accused told her that a SIM card had been purchased in her name and was being used for illegal activities. Later, they escalated the threat by claiming she was under investigation for money laundering and would be arrested if she did not cooperate," a senior police officer said.

Under intense psychological pressure, the victim was instructed not to contact anyone and to follow the fraudsters' directions strictly. During this period, she was coerced into transferring a total of Rs 6.9 crore into three different bank accounts, police said.

"She was made to carry out three transactions -- Rs 4 crore on January 9, followed by two subsequent transactions of Rs 1.6 crore and Rs 1.3 crore on January 12, through RTGS," the officer said.

Police said the fraudsters even directed her to physically visit her bank to complete the transactions. After the first large transfer, bank officials grew suspicious and contacted her to verify whether she was being subjected to any fraud.

However, out of fear, Ahuja told them that the money was being transferred for her daughter's property purchase.

Investigators said the victim remained under constant intimidation, which prevented her from seeking help or disclosing the truth to family members or bank officials. The fraud came to light only after the scammers severed contact, following which Ahuja approached the police.

An FIR was registered on January 14, and multiple bank accounts into which the money was transferred are being analysed, police said, adding that efforts are on to trace the money trail and identify the accused.

This is the second major 'digital arrest' case reported in Delhi within a week. Earlier, an elderly NRI couple was allegedly duped of around Rs 14 crore in a similar scam. No arrests have been made so far, though police managed to freeze Rs 1.9 crore, officials said.

Police data shows that cyber fraud has emerged as one of the fastest-growing crimes in the capital, followed by investment fraud.

In 2025 alone, cyber fraudsters cheated Delhi residents of over Rs 1,250 crore, compared to Rs 1,100 crore in 2024. Officials, however, said the recovery rate has improved, rising from around 10 per cent in 2024 to 24 per cent in 2025. PTI SSJ HIG