An elderly Chandigarh couple was cheated of Rs 85 lakh after callers convinced them they were suspects in a money-laundering case — and that only these “officials” could help them secure a “Priority Innocence Verification Certificate” to prevent their arrest.

The First Information Report, filed at the Cyber Police Station in Chandigarh ’s Sector 17 on December 9, reveals a meticulously staged month-long deception that mimicked the tone, structure, and intimidation style of an actual government probe.

A Venkatesh, DSP Cyber Crime Cell, Chandigarh Police, said, “This incident shows how digital-arrest scams have become far more sophisticated. The criminals no longer rely on one phone call — they now build an entire parallel investigation, complete with forged documents, multiple impersona

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