In Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur district, cyber fraudsters posing as anti-terror cell officials kept a 78-year-old retired officer and his wife under a so-called “digital arrest” for 20 hours and duped them of ₹80,000.
According to police, on February 19 the scammers called the elderly couple, claiming their bank account and mobile number were linked to the Delhi bomb blast and terrorist activities. When the couple expressed doubt, the fraudsters showed fake documents over a video call and forced them to transfer ₹80,000 online under the pretext of document verification.
The accused further pressured them to break a fixed deposit (FD) worth ₹6 lakh the next day and warned them not to step outside their house. On February 20, when the couple visited the Bhota Chowk branch of ICICI Bank to prematurely withdraw their FD, Branch Manager Manish Manu sensed something suspicious.
After learning the full details, the bank immediately alerted the family and a complaint was lodged with the cyber police. A new bank account was opened to secure the remaining savings of the elderly couple.
Hamirpur SP Balveer Thakur clarified that police never place anyone under “digital arrest” and urged citizens not to share banking or personal details over suspicious calls.
Notably, in January this year, cybercriminals had also duped a retired government officer of ₹16.53 lakh through a honeytrap scheme, and one आरोपी was arrested from Uttar Pradesh. Last year, another retired officer in Hamirpur lost ₹82 lakh in a similar fraud case.
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