Delhi: Elderly couple duped of Rs 14.85 crore, kept under ‘digital arrest’ for 17 days
Scammers pose as law enforcement to keep retired UN doctors under 17-day surveillance; Delhi Police IFSO unit probes loss of life savings to fraud
An elderly doctor couple in Delhi has been cheated of Rs 14.85 crore in a prolonged cyber fraud, in which scammers kept them under what police describe as a “digital arrest” for over two weeks, according to a police complaint.
The couple, Dr Om Taneja and his wife Dr Indira Taneja, spent nearly 48 years in the United States, serving with the United Nations, before returning to India in 2015 after retirement.
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Since then, they have been associated with charitable work.
Couple under digital arrest
According to the complaint, the fraud began on December 24, 2025, when the couple received a call from cybercriminals posing as law enforcement officials.
The callers threatened them with arrest warrants and false criminal cases, citing laws such as the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and alleging links to money laundering and national security violations.
From December 24 to the morning of January 10, the scammers kept the couple under constant surveillance through video calls, a tactic commonly referred to as “digital arrest”.
During this period, they coerced Dr Indira Taneja into transferring money to eight different bank accounts.
The amounts varied, sometimes Rs 2 crore and at other times over Rs 2.10 crore, eventually totalling Rs 14.85 crore.
Under constant surveillance
Dr Indira Taneja, 77, told police that the scammers monitored her movements closely.
Whenever she stepped out or attempted to make a phone call, the fraudsters would initiate a video call on her husband’s phone to ensure she did not alert anyone.
Before each bank visit, she was coached with a fabricated explanation to give bank staff if questioned about the large transfers.
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Even when a bank manager asked her about the unusually high amounts, she repeated the script provided by the scammers.
Investigation underway
The fraud came to light on January 10, when the callers instructed her to visit her local police station, claiming that the money would now be refunded by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and that the police had been informed.
She went to the police station while still on a video call with the scammers and even allowed them to speak to the station house officer. According to her statement, the callers spoke rudely to police personnel.
It was only at the police station that Dr Indira Taneja realised the scale of the fraud and that the promised refund was fictitious. The couple is said to be in shock following the loss of their life savings.
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Delhi Police has registered a case and, citing the seriousness of the offence, transferred the investigation to the Special Cell’s cyber unit, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO).