Cybercriminals are evolving their tactics — going beyond online profiling to physically stalking victims. This chilling trend was uncovered after a recent investigation revealed how an 88-year-old doctor from Paldi was duped of Rs8.05 crore through a sophisticated digital arrest scam.
For 16 harrowing days, from July 28 to August 12, the elderly victim was held in “digital captivity,” terrorized through video and audio calls by criminals impersonating senior police officers, Finance Ministry officials, and even the Chief Justice of India. Forged letters added to the intimidation.
City crime branch investigations led to the arrest of three local operatives: Pappusingh Parihar (41) from Aslali, Asifsha alias Bhado Akbarsha Pathan (35) from Amreli, and Vikaskumar Singh (34) from Vasai, Maharashtra.
Singh provided his bank accounts with a Rs1 crore limit and received a 2% cut from the fraud proceeds. These account details were routed to a handler named Alex Monty, suspected to be operating from Jharkhand. Using a malicious APK link sent by Alex, the fraudsters hijacked OTPs and SMS from Parihar’s phone, siphoning Rs80 lakh into his account, which was then quickly dispersed to multiple mule accounts.
ACP Bharat Patel confirmed that the investigating team, led by Inspector I N Ghasura, is tracking the money trail and that efforts are underway in Jharkhand to apprehend Alex and his network. The team responsible for the physical stalking of the doctor is still being identified, with more arrests expected.
This case exposes a dangerous new hybrid cybercrime model that combines physical stalking, digital extortion, impersonation, and high-value financial fraud, endangering victims both online and offline.
