New Delhi: An elderly doctor couple residing in Delhi allegedly fell victim of digital arrest as they were duped of Rs 14.85 crore by the scammers within 17 days.
The victims of the digital arrest are Dr. Om Taneja and his wife Dr. Indira Taneja who resided in Delhi after coming back from the United States after spending 45 years. They served the United States and came back as they retired.
This fraud reportedly began on December 24, 2025, when the couple received a call from the scammers who were pretending to be law enforcement officials and threatened them with fake arrest warrants and criminal cases, citing laws such as the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and alleging links to money laundering and national security violations.
The couple was constantly monitored through video calls by the scammers, in which Dr. Indira Taneja was forced to transfer the said amount to eight different bank accounts; the amount transferred varied in numbers, totaling Rs 14.85 crore.
Dr. Indira Taneja was monitored closely, and whenever she tried to get out of the house, her husband used to get a call from the scammers, ensuring she didn’t alert anyone.
Dr. Indira Taneja, before visiting the banks, was given a script by the scammers on what to say when asked about the huge amount of transactions being done from her account.
The fraud came to the light on January 10 when she was instructed to visit her nearest police station, stating that she would now receive the refund of the amount she transferred by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). When she was going to the police station, she was still there on the video call with the scammers and had also made them speak to the police head officer present at that time.
It is only then the retired doctor couple realised that they were the victims of digital arrest and subsequently registered a complaint at the police station.
Based on this, police initiated an investigation and transferred the investigation to the Special Cell’s cyber unit, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO).
Meanwhile, both Dr. Om Taneja and his wife, Dr. Indira Taneja, are in shock following the loss of their life savings.
