Vadodara: Days after an NRI doctor couple from South Delhi was defrauded of Rs 15 crore in "digital arrest" scam, the Delhi Police has arrested two accused from Gujarat’s Vadodara. Both accused have been brought to the national capital for further proceedings in the case.

Identification of accused revealed

Sharing details, the police said that the accused have been identified as Divyank Patel and Shitauli. As per them, of the total amount that has been defrauded, Rs 4 crore was transferred to Divyank Patel’s bank account.

Recently, a 77-year-old IITian Om Taneja and his doctor wife Indira Taneja were digitally arrested and were defrauded of Rs 15 crore. After spending close to 40 years in the US, they had returned to India and started an NGO to serve the country. However, the cyber fraud experience has forced them to rethink their decision to move back to the US.

One of the costliest digital arrest fraud case

The incident is considered as one of the costliest digital arrest fraud cases in India. The couple had lost a total of Rs 14.85 crore in around 15 days. The couple received a phone call, which turned their lives upside down, and they are now fighting to get back their lost money.

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On December 24 last year, Dr Indira Taneja received a phone call from a man who posed as a police officer. The fake police officer told her that the phone number she was using was linked to offensive and abusive calls. After threatening the couple with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the accused then misled the couple saying that the matter was related to national security.

Accused kept couple under constant surveillance

The couple was defrauded by people posing as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). They were kept under constant surveillance through their phones and were asked not to disconnect their phones. They were also asked to keep their phones charged.