In 8 days of digital arrest, elderly Delhi doctor loses Rs 80 lakh to cyber fraudsters

NEW DELHI: An 80-year-old city-based doctor became the latest victim of digital arrest, losing Rs 80 lakh over eight days to cyber fraudsters. Police have filed an FIR and are investigating the matter.
Dr Ramesh Chander Singla's ordeal began on March 21, when he was preparing to head to his clinic in east Delhi. "I was taking a bath when I received a call around 8.45am. The caller introduced himself as Deepak Sharma, claiming to be Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). He said there was a second number linked to my account, which was found to be involved in illegal activities. When I insisted that I only had one account, he said he was transferring the call to ‘police'," he told TOI.
Soon after, the doctor received a call from a second number, supposedly from police. "They asked me if I knew anyone named Naresh Goyal, who was arrested in a money laundering case. They asked me how I was also involved in similar illegal activities," said Dr Singla.
"I told them I had no knowledge of it and that I don't use credit or debit cards for anything beyond my one bank account," he said. "They asked me to write an application to the ‘chief of CBI in Mumbai', explaining everything I had told them. They also requested to see my Aadhaar card. By this time, the calls were very convincing, and I was told that an arrest warrant was out for me, so I had to cooperate fully."
Dr Singla, who had been communicating normally up until this point, soon found himself being pulled deeper into the web of deception. The fraudsters now redirected him to ‘Mumbai Police' which, in turn, connected him via a video call to ‘CBI officers'.
"The calls continued throughout the day. In the afternoon, I told them I was at my clinic when they insisted that the ‘chief of CBI' would speak with me. They called me on video, and I was introduced to various people one by one — an ‘investigating officer from Mumbai Police', followed by an ‘inspector from CBI'. They were all dressed up properly in their uniforms. I just felt scared and paralysed," Dr Singla recalled.
The fraudsters even staged ‘court hearings' on a video call too, according to the doctor. "They would call me every day, constantly telling me that I was under surveillance and that my life was in danger. I was even put on a video call with a person pretending to be a judge, who banged a gavel and declared, ‘Order! Order!'"
Fear began to take its toll as Dr Singla was told that there was "a 45-minute recording" of him discussing illegal activities with Naresh Goyal and that it was being sent for verification.
"From March 23 to 24, the men insisted that I visit my bank and break my fixed deposit to transfer funds ‘temporarily' to an account. As they continued to pressure me, I broke two FDs — of Rs 71.5 lakh and over Rs 4 lakh — first on March 25 and then on March 28. They repeatedly told me that I couldn't discuss this with anyone, warning me that revealing it would put my life at risk," he said.
Fearing for his safety and unsure of whom to trust, Dr Singla complied with the conmen's demands, and transferred more funds. He was told the entire amount would be transferred back once the ‘investigation' was over. However, on March 29, the fraudsters stopped answering the doctor's calls, after which he realised that he had been scammed.
"I was just trying to protect myself and my family. They kept telling me that everything would be fine if I just followed their instructions. I have spent decades helping others, I never imagined this could happen to me," said Dr Singla.