Anjali's* nightmare began with a phone call that would cost her 58.5m rupees ($663,390).
The caller claimed to be from a courier company, alleging that Mumbai customs had seized a drug parcel she was sending to Beijing.
Anjali, a resident of Gurugram, a suburb of Indian capital Delhi, fell prey to a digital arrest scam - fraudsters posing as law enforcement officials on video calls and threatening her with life imprisonment and harm to her son unless she obeyed.
For five harrowing days last September, they kept her under 24/7 surveillance on Skype, terrifying her with threats, and coercing her into liquidating her savings and transferring the money.
By the time the calls stopped, Anjali was left shattered, with her confidence destroyed and her fortune gone.
Her case is not unique; government data indicates that Indians lost millions to digital arrests, with reported cases nearly tripling from 2022 to 2024.
As awareness of these scams grows, the Indian government has initiated widespread campaigns to combat this cybercrime.
Over the past year, Anjali has been on a relentless quest for justice, advocating at police stations and courts to trace her missing funds while appealing to authorities for assistance.
She alleges that her bank, HDFC, ignored red flags during her transaction processes, raising concerns about the efficacy of financial institutions in safeguarding customer assets.
As the inquiry unearthed connections to multiple banks, it became apparent that regulatory gaps allow cyberfraud to flourish, raising questions about accountability in the banking sector.
Despite incremental recoveries, Anjali grapples with her financial burdens further compounded by tax liabilities on her losses, revealing broader issues within the systemic responses to digital fraud.
Her ongoing struggle illustrates the urgent need for stronger protections and regulation as digital banking evolves.
*The victim's real name has been changed to protect her identity.
