Victim allegedly threatened with arrest, imprisonment and attachment of assets after being falsely linked to a money-laundering case. Cyber fraudsters allegedly placed a retired official of the UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) and his wife in Kanpur under digital arrest for 69 days, eventually duping them of nearly ₹53 lakh by impersonating law enforcement officials. This ‘virtual confinement’ is said to be the longest reported in the city.
The victims, Ramesh Chandra, a former deputy general manager with UPPCL, and his wife, live at Upvan Apartments in the Ranighat area of Kohna. Chandra was allegedly threatened with arrest, imprisonment and attachment of family assets after being falsely linked to a money-laundering case and a fabricated suicide incident.
Police said the couple was kept under continuous virtual surveillance and psychological pressure for more than two months, during which the fraudsters remained in constant contact with them through phone and digital platforms. According to the FIR registered at Kohna police station, the accused posed as police and CBI officers and warned the couple not to speak to anyone or leave their house. They claimed that a SIM card allegedly issued using Chandra’s aadhaar details had been used to abett a woman’s suicide. The callers further alleged that Chandra’s name had surfaced in a money laundering case linked to Jet Airways owner Naveen Goyal and that he could be sent to a Mumbai jail.
Even when the retired officer informed the callers about his medical condition and the need for regular dialysis, the fraudsters allegedly ordered him to remain confined at home. Under sustained fear and intimidation over the 69-day period, the couple transferred a total of ₹53 lakh to the accused through RTGS transactions.
Cyber crime SHO Satish Yadav said details of three bank accounts to which the money was transferred are being collected and banks have been approached to trace the transaction trail and secure the funds. Confirming the investigation, assistant commissioner of police Ashutosh Kumar appealed to the public to be alert to such long-duration cyber frauds and to immediately report any calls claiming to be from law enforcement agencies.
