A 75-year-old resident of Yakutpura, Hyderabad, was conned into transferring more than ₹21 lakh after fraudsters posing as police officers convinced him that his Aadhaar number had been misused in a money laundering case. The Hyderabad Cyber Crimes Police booked a case.The victim received the first call on August 14, where the fraudsters used WhatsApp video calls to impersonate an IPS officer in uniform. They showed him forged government documents, warned him not to speak to anyone as it was a “national secret,” and threatened him with arrest, fines and imprisonment if he did not cooperate.Believing the threats, he transferred ₹21,01,650 in five RTGS and NEFT transactions between August 19 and September 2. The fraudsters even sent fake letters with government seals to build trust. When they demanded more money and failed to return the earlier payments, the man realised he had been cheated and lodged a complaint.Cybercrime officials said there is no such thing as a ‘digital arrest’ and stressed that no police or government agency will ever call to declare someone under arrest or demand money for ‘verification’ or ‘investigation’.Incidents of this nature should be reported immediately to the 1930 cyber helpline or www.cybercrime.gov.in. In case of emergencies, citizens may also call or WhatsApp 8712665171. Awareness updates are being shared regularly on Cybercrime Hyderabad’s official pages on Facebook, Instagram and X.Published - September 12, 2025 07:28 pm IST