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Authorities are now probing the role of Singh’s associates and attempting to identify the wider network involved
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Investigators are also examining how the scammers managed to identify and target the NRI woman shortly after her arrival in India
A 60-year-old Non-Resident Indian (NRI) living in the United States was allegedly cheated of INR30 lakh in a sophisticated “digital arrest” scam, highlighting the growing threat of cyber fraud targeting Indians returning from overseas.
The victim had arrived in India on October 1 and received a phone call around 3 am on October 6 from an international number. The caller impersonated an official from the Indian Consulate in San Francisco and claimed that the woman required a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to re-enter the United States due to “suspicious records” linked to her name. The fraudster warned that failure to comply could result in serious legal consequences.
The situation escalated when the caller threatened to transfer the call to the Delhi Police headquarters. Over the next four days, the woman was subjected to repeated video calls by individuals posing as police officers, some even wearing uniforms. She was allegedly placed under what the scammers described as a “digital arrest” and accused of involvement in suspicious financial transactions.
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Fearful and under constant psychological pressure, the victim was coerced into transferring INR30 lakh to a mule bank account provided by the scammers
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The calls and intimidation reportedly stopped on October 9, immediately after the transfer was completed.
Realising she had been duped, the woman later approached the authorities and a formal complaint was registered, leading to an FIR being filed on November 7. The investigation, led by Inspector Kamal Kumar, traced the money trail to a partnership firm named Varnav Infotech, based in Punjab.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam said that further analysis revealed the cheated amount was swiftly transferred to multiple bank accounts within minutes on the same day. The funds were subsequently withdrawn through cheques from different states, indicating a well-coordinated fraud network.
Following raids conducted in Mohali and Chandigarh, police arrested 30-year-old Varun Singh, one of the partners of the firm. Singh had earlier operated a call centre in Mohali involved in credit card sales and debt recovery. Investigators believe he began facilitating fraudulent transactions after his business suffered losses.
During the arrest, police recovered 38 ATM cards from various banks, 51 cheque books, ₹2 lakh in cash, and a Mahindra Scorpio vehicle.
