An 80 year old retired agricultural scientist in Agra was duped of ₹23 lakh after being trapped in a week-long “digital arrest” scam by cybercriminals posing as Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax officials, police said on Monday.
The victim, Dr. H.C. Nitant, a resident of Srinagar Colony in Trans-Yamuna and former Principal Scientist at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), received his first fraudulent WhatsApp call on September 10. The caller, identifying himself as Ajay Patil from the ED, accused Dr. Nitant of operating a Mumbai-based bank account linked to illegal transactions worth ₹30 crore connected to child trafficking.
Though he tried to protest his innocence, the harassment continued the next day, with another caller claiming to be an Income Tax officer. For seven days, the fraudsters threatened the elderly scientist with legal action, arrest, and imprisonment. To gain his trust, they even sent him a copy of his Aadhaar card over WhatsApp.
Fearing the false charges, Dr. Nitant broke his fixed deposit and transferred ₹23 lakh to the fraudsters’ account on September 17. The crime only came to light when he confided in his son the following day, who immediately helped him file a complaint with the Cyber Police Station.
A case was registered on Sunday, and the cybercrime unit has launched an investigation. Authorities have urged citizens, especially senior citizens, not to fall for intimidation tactics used by fraudsters impersonating government officials.