Elderly NRI couple duped of Rs 15 crore after being digitally arrested for 17 days in Delhi

PTC News Desk: An elderly NRI couple in Delhi was duped of Rs 15 crore after allegedly being digitally arrested for over two weeks. The couple Dr Om Taneja and his wife Dr Indira Taneja, had spent nearly 48 years in the United States, serving with the United Nations, before returning to India in 2015 after retirement. Since then, they had been associated with charitable work.

According to the complaint, the fraud started on December 24, 2025, when the couple received a phone call from scammers pretending to be law-enforcement officials. The callers warned them of fake arrest warrants and fabricated criminal cases, claiming violations under laws like the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and alleging involvement in money laundering and national security issues. 

From December 24 until the morning of January 10, the fraudsters kept the couple under constant watch through continuous video calls — a method known as “digital arrest.” During this time, they pressured Dr. Indira Taneja into transferring money to eight different bank accounts. The amounts ranged from Rs 2 crore to over Rs 2.10 crore, eventually adding up to Rs 14.85 crore.

The deception came to light on January 10, when the scammers told her to go to her local police station, claiming that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would now return the money and that police had already been briefed. While still on the video call, she went to the station and even let the scammers talk to the station house officer, who they allegedly spoke to in a rude manner.

It was only at the police station that Dr. Taneja realised she had been defrauded and that the promised refund was fake. The couple is reportedly devastated after losing their life savings.

Delhi Police have filed a case and, given the gravity of the crime, transferred the probe to the Special Cell’s cyber unit, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO).