Rs 1.9 cr frozen in Rs 14.85 cr 'digital arrest' fraud targeting NRI doctor couple

New Delhi, Jan 13 (PTI) Delhi Police has frozen Rs 1.9 crore of the Rs 14.85 crore allegedly duped from an elderly NRI doctor couple in a digital arrest scam, even as investigators found that the fraudsters routed the money through more than 700 mule accounts spread across multiple states, officials said on Tuesday.

Police said the funds were first transferred into seven primary bank accounts located across Gujarat, Assam, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi and Uttarakhand. From these, the money was rapidly dispersed into another 200 to 300 accounts before being further layered into several more accounts.

"This multi-layered mule account network has significantly complicated the money trail," a senior police officer said.

Specialised teams are tracking the transactions with assistance from banks and financial intelligence units. He also said that their main focus is to freeze more at the earliest.

The officer said that efforts are on to identify and freeze more linked accounts, adding that no arrest has been made yet.

Police sources said that on December 26, Rs 1.99 crore was sent to Jalukbari in Assam's Guwahati, followed by consecutive transfers of Rs 2 crore each on December 29 and 30 to Sama Savli in Vadodara. On January 2, Rs 2 crore was routed to Mayur Vihar in east Delhi while Rs 2.05 crore was transferred to Nepean Sea Road in Mumbai on January 5.

"Similarly, money was transferred to different accounts in different states, which adding more complex web of mule accounts which are over 700 in numbers," the source said.

The case came to light on January 9 when 81-year-old Om Taneja and his doctor wife Indira, 77, residents of Greater Kailash in south Delhi, approached the police after realising they had been cheated.

The couple told investigators they were kept under "digital arrest" from December 24 to January 9, during which they were continuously monitored and coerced into transferring money in multiple transactions.

"We lost everything we saved after working hard for years," the couple had said.

Police said the fraudsters posed as officials from telecom service providers and law enforcement agencies, creating a climate of fear by threatening the couple with arrest and legal action. On the pretext of verification and clearing supposed irregularities, the scammers convinced the victims to move large sums of money to accounts provided by them.

Investigators said the elderly couple was repeatedly warned not to contact anyone during this period, further isolating them.

During the probe, police found that many of the mule accounts were opened in the names of tour and travel businesses, recruitment firms and charitable organisations. Some accounts were linked to shell entities with no genuine business activity, while others appeared to have been misused after being opened for legitimate purposes. Officials said banks have been asked to share detailed KYC records, transaction histories and IP logs to establish the identities of the account holders and their role in the scam.

Police said teams are also working round the clock to identify the main operators behind the racket, suspects who are believed to be coordinating the movement of funds and recruiting mule account holders across states.

Speaking to reporters, the couple said that the accused were initially rude with them, threatening them with life, but after few days they were behaving like their children, winning their trust.

"They told us 'We are like your kids, we will call you Maa, we will not let you be in any trouble. All your money is totally in safe hands. Once everything is verified, your your money will be returned to you'," said Indira Taneja. PTI SSJ BM ZMN