Jaipur: A 74-year-old Vaishali Nagar resident was allegedly kept under ‘digital arrest’ for 10 days by cyber fraudsters posing as Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers, who threatened to arrest him in a money laundering case and siphoned off Rs 1.74 crore. Police registered an FIR Tuesday and are tracing the money trail with help from banks and the state cyber crime unit.The victim, who lives with his wife, was told that suspicious transactions had been detected in his bank account and a money laundering case had been registered against him, said SHO Arvind Singh Shekhawat.The fraudsters allegedly used video calls to make their claims appear genuine. One caller displayed ‘Supreme Court’ on his mobile screen, while another posed as a senior IPS officer. They threatened the man with arrest and seizure of his property, and allegedly kept him under constant surveillance, preventing him from speaking to anyone for 10 days.Under pressure, he transferred Rs 1.74 crore through multiple transactions.The victim’s son lives abroad and his daughter outside Rajasthan. After realising he had been cheated, he confided in an acquaintance and approached Vaishali Nagar police station.“The FIR was registered Tuesday. We have also sought help from different banks,” a police official said.Police are examining the mobile numbers and video calls used by the fraudsters, along with the bank accounts that received the money, to identify those involved. The state cyber crime unit is assisting in tracing financial transactions.
