Nagpur: A 75-year-old retired man from the Beltarodi area was allegedly duped of ₹8 lakh by cybercriminals posing as police and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers, who threatened to arrest him for allegedly running a sex racket and placed him under a so-called digital arrest.

According to the complaint, the victim, Madhav Dhonduji Nandeshwar, a resident of Beltarodi, received a phone call from an unidentified person who claimed to be a police and CBI officer.

The caller allegedly accused Nandeshwar of operating a sex racket and warned that he could be arrested in connection with the case. Using the threat of legal action, the fraudster allegedly subjected the elderly man and his wife to a digital arrest, intimidating them through phone-based communication.

The accused then allegedly pressured Nandeshwar into transferring ₹8 lakh online to a Kotak Mahindra Bank account linked to a branch in Telangana.

After realising that he had been cheated, the victim approached the police. Beltarodi police registered a case under Sections 308, 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.

The accused has not been arrested, and further investigation is underway.

Police advisory: Citizens should remember that law enforcement agencies do not conduct investigations or impose arrests through digital arrest calls. Never transfer money in response to threats made over phone or video calls.