Digital Scammers Target Retirees in Gujarat: A 30 Crore Heist Exposed

The CBI is investigating two digital fraud cases in Gujarat, targeting a former professor and a retired gynaecologist, defrauding them of Rs 30 crore. Posing as law enforcement officers, the scammers extorted money by keeping the victims in 'digital arrest,' with the cases now involving 44 unidentified suspects.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has stepped in to investigate two alarming cases of digital fraud that have surfaced from Gujarat. The cases involve shocking deceit, where cyber criminals defrauded a former professor and a retired gynaecologist of a whopping Rs 30 crore, officials revealed on Thursday.

In one instance, a woman posing as a representative from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) began harassing a retired professor from St Xavier's College, Ahmedabad, warning her of a supposed police case in Mumbai. This elaborate ruse went on for 82 days, ultimately costing the victim over Rs 11 crore.

Similarly, a retired gynaecologist found herself trapped under 'digital arrest' for 123 days, losing more than Rs 19.24 crore to scammers pretending to be law enforcement officials. Authorities are now searching for 44 unidentified suspects involved in these frauds after the cases were transferred from the cybercrime unit of the CID to the CBI.

(With inputs from agencies.)