An elderly Bengaluru woman was allegedly cheated out of nearly ₹24 crore in an elaborate cyber fraud operation where scammers posed as officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation and kept her under what they called a “digital arrest” for almost five months.
The Central Crime Branch’s cybercrime unit has arrested five people in connection with the case, which investigators are describing as one of the biggest online financial frauds uncovered in Karnataka so far.
The victim, identified as Lakshmi Ramamurthy, is a resident of Shivajinagar and had previously worked as a teacher in Dubai before retiring. According to investigators, the fraudsters targeted her after learning that she had recently received large sums of money from the sale of properties in Bengaluru and Mumbai. She was reportedly planning to move to the United States to live with her children.
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Fraudsters posed as CBI officials
According to The Hindu, police said the accused contacted Ramamurthy, claiming to be a senior law enforcement official investigating a money laundering case. They allegedly told her that her bank accounts were linked to illegal financial transactions and warned her not to speak to anyone about the matter.
The scammers reportedly convinced her that she was under “digital arrest,” a tactic increasingly used by cybercriminals to isolate victims psychologically and create fear. Over several months between January and May, the accused allegedly manipulated and intimidated her into transferring huge amounts of money across multiple accounts.
Investigators believe the victim remained under constant pressure and surveillance by the fraudsters, who repeatedly threatened legal consequences if she failed to cooperate.
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Bank manager’s suspicion exposed the scam
According to The Hindu, the fraud finally came to light when Ramamurthy visited the ICICI Bank Cantonment branch to mortgage nearly 1.3 kilograms of gold jewelry in an attempt to arrange more money.
According to reports, the bank manager became suspicious about the transaction and immediately alerted police authorities. Officers from the Central Crime Branch then intervened and questioned the woman, eventually uncovering the extent of the fraud.
Police later contacted her children, who are currently residing abroad.
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Five arrested as probe widens
According to The Hindu, so far, five accused from Mumbai, Allahabad, and Delhi have been arrested in connection with the case. Investigators said they have frozen bank accounts containing around ₹60 lakh and traced the stolen funds across 22 separate accounts.
Officials said the investigation is continuing to identify other members of the network and track the remaining money siphoned off through the scam.
The case has once again highlighted the growing threat posed by “digital arrest” frauds, where cybercriminals impersonate government agencies and exploit fear to extort victims online.
