Elderly Couple in Kasaragod Loses Life Savings to ‘Virtual Arrest’ Scam

Fast Summary

• An elderly couple from Kanhangad in kasaragod,Kerala,lost ₹2.4 crore due to a cyber fraud scheme reportedly carried out over 11 days.
• the victims, aged 69 and 72, are retired government employees-a former teacher and a homeopathy doctor living alone in a rented house.
• On August 10, the scammers called the wife claiming she was implicated in a money laundering case being investigated by the Central bureau of Investigation (CBI).
• Using fake Aadhaar cards and threats of “virtual arrest,” the fraudsters convinced the couple they needed to transfer their savings for “verification.” They were told this money would be deposited into accounts linked with the Supreme Court.
• Between August 19 and 21, ₹2.4 crore was transferred by the victims across four transactions before realizing it was fraudulent after intervention by a relative on August 22.
• Kasaragod Cyber police filed charges under Section 316(4) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66(D) of the Data Technology Act on august 22 for further investigation.

Indian Opinion Analysis

This case underscores important gaps in awareness surrounding cyber security among senior citizens who may be vulnerable to such elaborate schemes given their isolation or lack of digital literacy. The use of official-sounding claims (in this instance referencing CBI involvement) to manipulate individuals highlights how impersonation tactics remain effective for committing financial crimes.

From an institutional perspective, proactive measures are imperative-including targeted awareness programs aimed at educating retirees about potential scams as well as strengthening digital fraud detection systems managed by local authorities like Cyber police units.

The incident also stresses broader concerns around safeguarding sensitive personal information like Aadhaar details that can facilitate such organized schemes when accessed illicitly by criminals. as India increasingly shifts toward digitization across critical services-banking included-it remains crucial that public trust is upheld through both protective regulation and timely enforcement mechanisms against perpetrators involved in cases such as these.

Read more: Published – August 28, 2025