Four months ‘arrested’ on video, ₹64 lakh gone

A 71-year-old Hyderabad resident and his wife allegedly lost ₹64 lakh after fraudsters posing as police officials kept them on repeated phone and video calls for more than four months, according to published reports. The couple approached Hyderabad Cybercrime Police after discovering the fraud. No arrests, recovery figure or case number has been made public in the material available.

The fraudsters allegedly invoked the Pahalgam terror-attack investigation, cited personal details about the family and threatened to implicate relatives in drug-related cases. They called the arrangement a “digital arrest”—a phrase with no legal standing, despite its impressive commitment to theatre. The alleged offenders have not been identified.

The National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit says scammers use fake police-station setups and video calls to pressure victims, and states: “Real law enforcement won't arrest you digitally.” Victims should report cyber fraud immediately by calling 1930 or through cybercrime.gov.in. Hyderabad City Police also lists 8712666346 for its Cyber Crime Police Station and advises victims who lost more than ₹1 lakh to contact it.

The police have reportedly begun an investigation. The money trail, recovery status and whether any suspects have been identified remain undisclosed.