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Delhi Police arrested two people from Vadodara for defrauding Dr Indira Taneja and Dr Om Taneja of Rs 15 crore in a digital arrest scam targeting NRI returnees.
Dr Indira said the officer told them it was a matter of national security and that they could not share any information, not even with their driver who stayed with them at all times. (Image: News18)
Delhi Police has arrested two accused from Gujarat for allegedly defrauding an NRI doctor couple of Rs 15 crore through a “digital arrest” scam.
According to the police, the accused have been identified as Divyank Patel and Shitauli. Of the total amount defrauded, Rs 4 crore was transferred to Divyank Patel’s bank account, police said.
Both accused were arrested from Vadodara. Delhi Police has brought them to Delhi for further proceedings.
This comes after, a 77-year-old IITian and his doctor wife returned to India after spending over 40 years in the US, with the aim of serving the nation through their NGO. However, a cyber fraud ordeal has compelled them to rethink their decision and consider moving back to the US.
One of India’s costliest “digital arrest” frauds wiped out the couple’s lifetime earnings, as they lost Rs 14.85 crore in nearly 15 days. A single phone call shattered their dreams of survival in India, and they are now fighting to recover their money.
Dr Indira Taneja received a call from a man posing as a police officer on December 24. Claiming to be an IPS officer, the caller alleged that her phone number was linked to offensive and abusive calls. He later invoked the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and threatened the couple, saying the matter was connected to national security. Similar warnings were also issued to her husband, Dr Om Taneja.
The elderly couple was defrauded by people posing as officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). According to the couple, they were kept under constant surveillance through their phones and were instructed not to disconnect and to keep their phones charged from 24 November till 9 December.
“The fake officer told us not to disconnect and keep the phones charged. He identified himself as Dinesh Gupta and remained connected 24*7 through phones. Infact when I told him that we have to take my husband for walk as he is suffering from a medical condition, the fake officer asked us to keep the phone on. Our phone used to remain on even while sleeping in our bedroom,” Dr Indira told News18.
January 18, 2026, 07:19 IST
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