₹23 crore vanished on WhatsApp: Retired banker held hostage in his home

Delhi: The national capital’s most bizarre “digital arrest” case has left cybercrime experts stunned.

For 31 days, 78-year-old retired banker Naresh Malhotra lived under the illusion that he was a terror suspect.

His home became a cell, his WhatsApp the courtroom, and faceless voices posing as Mumbai Police, ED, and even the Supreme Court became his “jailors.”

By the end of this strange captivity, his entire life savings — a staggering ₹23 crore — had been siphoned off.

The ordeal began with a single call on August 1. A polite man, claiming to represent a mobile company, informed Malhotra that his Aadhaar had been linked to a number tied to terror funding.

The call was then conveniently “transferred” to fake Mumbai Police officers, who insisted on continuing via WhatsApp.

What followed was a masterclass in psychological manipulation:

• Step 1: Create fear (terror cases, family implicated).
• Step 2: Demand “verification” of assets (starting with ₹14 lakh).
• Step 3: Escalate pressure (claim the ED, CBI, and Supreme Court were monitoring).
• Step 4: Keep him isolated under a so-called “digital arrest.”

Malhotra complied — visiting banks only to withdraw money, which he was told to hand over to “officers.” By September 4, the fraudsters cut contact, leaving him penniless and shattered.

“I spent my life building security for old age. In one month, it all disappeared because I trusted the wrong people,” Malhotra told PTI.

The retired banker finally approached the police on September 19. The Delhi Police’s IFSO cybercrime unit is now on the trail. Already, ₹2.67 crore has been frozen across accounts.

However, the scale of the operation is staggering — investigators say the money travelled through over 4,000 layered accounts before being withdrawn from across the country.

“We will crack the case soon,” an officer assured, but for Malhotra, the scars of his “digital captivity” may take longer to heal.