In a case where scammers posing as police officers threatened a victim over the phone, placed her under a so-called “digital arrest,” and cheated her of ₹20 lakh, the entire amount was recovered within 14 days by the West Zone Cyber Crime Police Station.
The complainant, S. Latha, 54, lodged a complaint that the fraud on her started on December 20, 2025. The caller contacted her and her husband via video call and repeatedly threatened them. For three consecutive days, the accused intimidated the couple, prevented them from speaking to outsiders, and did not allow them to disconnect the calls. They insisted that all the money in the complainant’s bank account be immediately transferred to the bank account specified by them, claiming that they would check whether any money laundering was involved and then return the money to her account.
Believing these assurances, the complainant personally went to ICICI Bank and deposited ₹20 lakh by cheque into the bank account provided by the accused. Later, with the help of a friend, she realised that she had been cheated. She immediately registered a complaint through the cyber crime helpline number 1930.
During the investigation, police found that the money sent by the complainant had been credited to an ICICI Bank account of Onat Global Trading Pvt Ltd, located in Visakhapatnam. The police immediately contacted the concerned bank and confirmed that the complainant’s funds had been frozen. Acting swiftly, they coordinated with the bank managers and submitted a requisition before a Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Saidapet, on January 2. After obtaining a court order, the same was forwarded to the ICICI Bank, Visakhapatnam branch, and on January 7, the entire amount of ₹20 lakh lost by the complainant was promptly credited back to her bank account, the police said.
A senior police officer said it is noteworthy that the full amount lost by the complainant through the “digital arrest” modus operandi was recovered within 14 days due to swift investigation and continuous monitoring.
Further investigation is on to identify the accused who contacted the complainant and to verify the bank account details provided by them.
Published – January 10, 2026 05:00 am IST
