A 63-year-old woman has moved the Delhi High Court seeking the transfer of the investigation into her digital arrest complaint to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The petitioner, a former government servant, alleged that she was subjected to sustained harassment and coercion by fraudsters posing as officials of the Mumbai Crime Branch from November 1 to 19, 2025.
According to the writ petition, the accused informed her that her Aadhaar number had been linked to terrorist funding and that she faced imminent arrest. She was allegedly forced to remain under continuous ādigital surveillanceā through video and phone calls, and was instructed not to contact anyone during this period.
The fraudsters are also said to have sent her a purported arrest warrant on her mobile phone and shared forged documents bearing the names of agencies such as the Mumbai Police, Enforcement Directorate, Reserve Bank of India, Securities and Exchange Board of India, and the Supreme Court via WhatsApp.
Under duress, the petitioner transferred ā¹1.06 crore to multiple bank accounts provided by the accused.
āThe matter was immediately reported to the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police and on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal on November 20. Following registration of the FIR, beneficiary accounts were identified and lien marking was initiated. About ā¹40 lakh was frozen. However, despite filing an application on December 13 for release of the funds, the petitioner received only ā¹6 lakh till April 2026,ā said Rohan Gupta, counsel for the petitioner.
Citing delays in the investigation and limited recovery of the defrauded amount, the petitioner has sought transfer of the case to the CBI. āIn eight months, the police have only issued notices to account holders in Telangana and Kerala,ā Mr. Gupta submitted.
Police response
In its status report, the Delhi Police stated that ā¹1.06 crore was transferred in four transactions ā ā¹20 lakh through a Delhi-based account linked to four persons, ā¹47 lakh to an account in Telangana, and ā¹39 lakh to one in Kerala.
The police said that the Delhi-based accused linked to the first layer of transactions have been arrested. Notices have been issued to the other account holders, but they have not joined the investigation despite repeated summons.
The police informed the court that steps are being taken to initiate non-bailable warrants against those who have failed to cooperate.
Mr. Gupta further alleged that recovery has been hindered by procedural issues. āIt was only after intervention by a district court that it came to light that the frozen funds could not be retrieved. The bank informed the court that the āfreezingā was only a āshadow freezeā, following which the transaction had been reversed. Subsequently, the investigating agency advised the petitioner to accept ā¹20 lakh from the Delhi-based accused, stating that recovery of the remaining amount would take time,ā he said.
The matter is expected to be heard next in due course.
Published ā August 08, 2026 01:49 am IST
