In one of the most sophisticated and high-value cybercrimes reported at the national capital, an elderly NRI doctor couple, living in the Greater Kailash-II of South Delhi was allegedly defrauded for around ₹14.85 crore. The victims Dr. Om Taneja and Dr. Indira Taneja, who returned to India in 2015 after spending almost five decades with the United Nations in the United States were kept under a “digital arrest” for more than 15 days.
The Hook: A Call from 'TRAI'
The ordeal started on December 24, 2025, when Dr. Indira Taneja received a phone call from an individual pretending to be an official from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The caller said her mobile number was being used for "obscene calls," and that she was associated with illegal activities, including money laundering.
The Psychological Trap: 'National Security' and Surveillance
To heighten the threat of being pursued by suspects, the scam operators made a video call that linked the couple to a man in a police uniform and claimed he was "Vikrant Singh Rajput." In order to keep up their facade, they alleged that a bank account in their name was being utilized for a massive amount of illusory fraud, "that hampered national security." They then held a video call as if they had called the police for almost 24/7:
The video call has been maintained practically round-the-clock around them to guard against any potential communication with the authorities or their children; meanwhile it never leaves this situation that parents and grandparents living abroad are required to call on police stations as yet or return home again.
Isolation:
They were warned that any disclosure would create a “big threat” to the country and result in their immediate arrest in connection with the NIA Act. Coached Transactions: When Dr. Indira went to the bank to transfer funds, the scammers were monitoring their movements by also keeping a video call on her husband’s phone. She even had scripts to paraphrase to bank managers describing the big RTGS transfers.
The Financial Drain
Fearing that everything was going wrong, under extreme pressure, the couple arranged for ₹14.85 crore to be transferred in eight bank accounts, in several installments. The accounts ranged from a few lakhs to one transaction that is bigger than ₹2 crore.
The Scammers’ last “convincing” card was a local police station to collect a back “refund” from Reserve Bank of India. The couple only learned of this fraud on 10 January 2026 when they got to Greater Kailash police station and spoke to a Station House Officer (SHO).
Investigation Status
An investigation within the Delhi Police’s Special Cell unit, IFSO (Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations) registered an FIR as the Delhi Police and undertook to take over the investigation. “The scammers seemed to know about our personal lives, which is why we believed them,” Dr. Om Taneja told investigators.
Police officials have reiterated that "Digital Arrest" is not a legal provision in India and that no law enforcement agency will ever ask for money or keep a citizen under surveillance via video calls.
