Gandhinagar: In what is now being called the biggest digital arrest scam in India, a 60-year-old woman doctor from Gandhinagar has been defrauded of a staggering ₹19.24 crore by a highly organized cybercrime gang operating from Cambodia. For three months, the doctor remained under constant mental pressure and surveillance through calls and video chats — a horrifying virtual captivity that broke down her resistance and drained her life’s savings.
The incident began in March 2025, when the doctor received a phone call from a woman who identified herself as Jyoti Vishwanath, an official from the Department of Telecommunications. What followed was a well-coordinated sequence of psychological manipulation and fear tactics. Soon, multiple individuals posing as law enforcement officials — including a police inspector, a public prosecutor, and senior officers from central agencies — began contacting her. They threatened her with immediate arrest under FEMA and PMLA for allegedly sending inappropriate messages to someone named Rajesh Gupta.
Each day became a nightmare as the woman was forced to report her location on video calls. Even while attending a family wedding in Surat, she secretly kept up appearances for her so-called custodians by making video calls to show her presence, unaware she was falling into a well-scripted trap. She was told she had to deposit "government dues" to avoid arrest and recover her money later. Trusting the threats, she began liquidating her finances.
In an elaborate series of transactions, she sold gold, broke her fixed deposits, mortgaged locker assets, took loans, and even sold long-term shareholdings to transfer ₹19.24 crore into 35 different bank accounts over a period of 90 days. The fraudsters sent her fake government documents to make their case more believable. The trap was so well-orchestrated that she didn’t confide in her family until the scammers abruptly stopped contacting her. That’s when the reality sank in she had been digitally imprisoned and robbed.
“This case is unprecedented in its scale and psychological control. A digital arrest for 90 days is beyond anything we’ve seen before,” said a senior officer from CID Crime, Gandhinagar. Investigations have revealed that the entire operation was managed from Cambodia, where more than 5,000 illegal call centers are said to be active, many of them targeting Indians. One accused, Laljibhai Baldania from Surat, whose account received ₹1 crore, has already been arrested. Teams are now tracing the remaining money trail, mobile links, and foreign connections.
Cybersecurity experts warn that this case signals a dangerous escalation in cross-border cybercrime. “If a senior doctor from Gandhinagar can be held mentally hostage for three months, it exposes a massive hole in our digital safety net,” said cyber expert Vikas Patel. Authorities are calling for stricter international cooperation to tackle such networks operating from countries like Cambodia.
