Noida: An elderly couple in their 70s was cheated of Rs 58 lakh by conmen while they were kept under “digital arrest” for a week, police said on Friday. A case has been registered at the Cybercrime Branch police station and an investigation is underway.In their complaints, the victims, residents of Sector 137, said an unidentified man called them on their landline number on Aug 11. The woman picked up the call and the caller said he was a customer care executive of a telecom company.He reportedly told her that her Aadhaar card and bank account had been linked to a money laundering case.The caller subsequently contacted the woman and her husband through WhatsApp and claimed that they were being investigated in connection with the case. The couple said they were threatened with legal action if they failed to follow the instructions of the callers.The suspects kept the elderly couple under “digital arrest” till Aug 18 and prevented them from informing anyone else about their predicament. Under the pretext of assisting in the probe and verifying their accounts, the conmen persuaded them to transfer Rs 58 lakh through seven transactions between Aug 11 and 18.Police said Rs 44.5 lakh was transferred from the man’s bank account, while another Rs 13.8 lakh was transferred from a joint account held by the couple.The victims realised they had been cheated after the suspects suddenly stopped communicating with them after the money was transferred. They subsequently approached police and lodged a complaint.A case of cheating and cheating by personation under the BNS and provisions of the Information Technology Act was registered against unidentified suspects.A senior officer said further investigation was underway. Police are examining the bank transactions and other digital evidence to identify the suspects and trace the money.
