Archive · 27 Aug 2026
Bhopal Couple Duped ₹22 Lakh in Two-Month Digital Arrest
An elderly couple received calls from people pretending to be police and other officials.
The callers falsely said the woman was involved in a money-laundering case.
They threatened to arrest the couple and take their property.
They told the couple not to speak to anyone about the calls.
The callers also used video calls and included someone pretending to be a judge.
The frightened couple returned to Bhopal from Andhra Pradesh.
They pawned or mortgaged jewellery and borrowed about ₹22 lakh.
They sent the money to an account provided by the scammers.
Police have registered a case and are investigating.
An elderly couple from Bhopal was allegedly kept under surveillance through calls and video calls for nearly two months.
Fraudsters posing as Delhi police, a CBI officer and a judge threatened the couple with arrest and property seizure.
The scammers falsely linked the woman to a money-laundering case involving industrialist Naresh Goyal.
The couple returned from Andhra Pradesh, pawned or mortgaged jewellery, borrowed money and transferred about ₹22 lakh.
Kolar police registered a case against unidentified suspects after the couple complained to the Cyber Cell on August 23; investigators are tracing phone numbers and bank accounts.
- Who
- An elderly couple from Kolar, Bhopal, was targeted by unidentified cyber fraudsters. The reports give differing names and ages: Laxmi Bai, 65, and her husband in one account; Narasimha Rao, 66, and Suvarna Lakshmi Rao, 63, in another.
- What
- The couple was allegedly subjected to a fake ‘digital arrest’ and defrauded of approximately ₹22 lakh.
- When
- The first call was reported on May 19, and the harassment continued until July. The couple filed a Cyber Cell complaint on August 23, according to one report.
- Where
- The couple was in Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh, when the first call came and later returned to Bhopal. The case was registered at Kolar police station.
- Why
- The fraudsters falsely claimed the woman was linked to a money-laundering case and used threats of arrest and property seizure to force the couple to transfer money.
- Reported loss
- Approximately ₹22 lakh
- Fraud duration
- Nearly two months, from May until July
- Initial location
- Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh
- Impersonated officials
- A Delhi Daryaganj police officer, a CBI officer and a person posing as a judge
- Alleged case
- A false money-laundering case linked to industrialist Naresh Goyal
- Complaint date
- August 23, according to the PTI report
- Police action
- Kolar police registered a case against unidentified suspects and began tracing mobile numbers and bank accounts
