Hyderabad: Cyber fraudsters, posing as officials of the CBI and the TRAI, allegedly placed a 56-year-old private tutor from Ameerpet under ‘digital arrest’ and duped her of Rs 7 lakh. They threatened to arrest her in a money laundering case. According to the complainant, she was forced to remain on a video call for nearly 24 hours and was even sent a fake letter in the name of the Chief Justice of India to convince her to transfer the money.The ordeal began on Sept 28 when she received an Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) call from a fraudster identifying herself as Priya Sharma, an employee of the TRAI. The caller claimed that the victim’s Aadhaar card had been misused and linked to illegal activities involving a SIM card purchase in Mumbai. The call was then transferred to another fraudster posing as CBI officer Vijay Khanna, who accused her of involvement in money laundering. “From 11 am to 11 pm, they kept me on a video call and instructed me to keep the camera on throughout the night,” the victim said.Under the guise of investigation, the fraudsters sent forged documents, including an arrest order under the PMLA and a letter from the ‘ED’. On Sept 29, they coerced her into transferring Rs 7 lakh to a specified bank account, assuring her that the money would be refunded after ‘verification’.“They even sent me a letter in the name of CJI Bhushan Ramakrishna, asking me to submit details of my assets for law enforcement inspection through WhatsApp. They assured me the amount would be refunded within a week. I was also instructed not to disclose the investigation to anyone, or I would face imprisonment for three years. I did not speak to anyone over the phone, nor did I step out,” the victim alleged.The fraud came to light when a family acquaintance visited her home, sensed something was wrong, and advised her to report the matter to the police on Wednesday. Based on her complaint, a case was registered under the relevant sections of the BNS and the IT Act.
