The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and other authorities on a plea filed by a 78-year-old retired banker, who was allegedly duped of nearly ₹23 crore after being placed under a so-called “digital arrest” for close to a month.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to the Union of India, CBI, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and others on the petition filed by Naresh Malhotra, a former banker.
Plea Seeks Recovery of Defrauded Amount
In his plea, Malhotra has sought directions to the banks involved to deposit ₹22.92 crore, the amount allegedly defrauded, back into his bank accounts.
He has made several banks parties to the case, including Kotak Mahindra Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, City Union Bank and Yes Bank.
Alleged ‘Digital Arrest’ by Cyber Fraudsters
According to police, cyber fraudsters impersonating officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and CBI allegedly duped Malhotra, a resident of Gulmohar Park in south Delhi, of ₹23 crore by placing him under “digital arrest” for nearly a month.
The accused allegedly told the victim that his Aadhaar card was linked to narcotics trafficking, terror funding and the Pulwama terror attack, and instructed him not to leave his residence during the purported “investigation”.
“The scammers directed him not to step out of his house and coerced him into transferring his savings to various bank accounts over a span of a month,” a police officer said.
Timeline of the Alleged Fraud
Police said the ordeal began on August 4 last year, when Malhotra received a call from a person claiming to be a Mumbai Police officer, accusing him of involvement in a drug-trafficking racket.
He was later contacted by fraudsters posing as ED and CBI officials, who allegedly threatened him with serious consequences if he disclosed the matter to anyone.
“Out of fear, the victim complied with their instructions and kept transferring money from his bank accounts to the accounts specified by the fraudsters,” police said.
FIR and Recovery Efforts
After realising he had been cheated, Malhotra lodged a complaint on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) on September 19, following which the case was transferred to the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit.
Police said an FIR was registered, and ₹12.11 crore of the defrauded amount has so far been frozen in various bank accounts.
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the concerned authorities before proceeding further in the matter.
Source: TaxTMI