‘She wanted to transfer Rs 1.13 crore’: How Lucknow bank sniffed a ‘digital arrest’ scam, saved an elderly woman

This was a familiar script. Bank officials immediately escalated the matter to senior officials and informed the police.

A bank official on condition of anonymity said, “We had our doubts from the start… but without proper confirmation we could not directly conclude that she was under digital arrest or any kind of fraud. For nearly two to three hours, we kept talking to her. Once we were reasonably certain, we spoke to her calmly and explained that she was a victim of fraud.”

A phone call. A threat. A life’s savings at risk. 🚨

An elderly customer at PNB Mama Chauraha branch (Lucknow) was pressured to transfer her hard-earned money under a fake “digital arrest” scam.
Thanks to the alertness and timely intervention of PNB officials, the fraud was… pic.twitter.com/YmOuVkqd0D

— Punjab National Bank (@pnbindia) December 18, 2025

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He said the woman further disclosed that she had shared details of her other bank accounts with the fraudsters, following which those accounts were immediately frozen.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Lucknow, Shashank Singh, said the alertness shown by bank staff proved crucial in the case. He stated the officials promptly informed the police, whose timely intervention helped in counselling the elderly woman and convincing her she was being targeted by cyber fraudsters.

No FIR has been registered in the matter, the DCP added.

How it unfolded

According to the bank official, the woman arrived with documents relating to 12 FDs and requested that they be liquidated and the proceeds transferred to another bank account. She also sought transfer of the funds in her savings account to the same account.

When bank officials sought an explanation, she declined to give a proper reason. The matter was referred to the branch manager, said the official.

“The branch manager asked her the same question; the woman said she needed the money for her children. The manager advised her against prematurely breaking the FDs and informed her that, if required, the bank could arrange funds for her instead under different schemes…. However, the woman remained firm on liquidating the FDs,” said the official.

Bank officials said they asked for her son’s mobile phone number, but she refused to share it. In the meantime, officials said they looked into the account where she wanted the money transferred: it belonged to a firm. When questioned, the woman claimed her son owned the firm.

Subsequently, the bank obtained son’s mobile number from the bank records — it was listed as a nominee contact — and called him.

The son said the family required money to buy a car — but not the amount his mother was attempting to withdraw, said the official.

The bank staff then informed the woman that the account number she provided for the transfer appeared to be incorrect. Following this, the woman stepped out. Bank officials said they noticed her standing in a corner, speaking to someone over the phone. She came back and insisted that the account number was correct.

Officials said the staff took her mobile phone under the pretext of verifying details and found a WhatsApp message from an unknown number — it contained the account details and a voice note. Staff then decided to escalate the issue to senior officials, and police were called in.

Anatomy of a scam

Police said when they questioned the woman, she said she got a call from an unknown number on the evening of December 11.

The caller recited the mobile number of her late husband, claiming it and his Aadhaar card were misused in a money-laundering racket that allegedly funnelled around Rs 50 crore from terrorist organisations. “The caller further alleged the funds were used in terrorist incidents in Kashmir and Delhi,” said station officer, Vikas Nagar police station, Alok Kumar Singh.

Her husband, Shiv Kumar Shukla, was a government employee.

Police said the woman was told the case was under investigation by the CBI in Pune. “The callers then contacted her via WhatsApp video calls, showing people in uniform seated in what appeared to be an office,” said Singh.

Using psychological pressure over four days, the callers extracted her Aadhaar and bank details and instructed her to deposit all her money into a savings account. Police said she was further warned not to inform any family member, not to step out of her house, and not to allow anyone to visit her — else they would take her family to Pune and have them killed.

Cautioning against falling prey to such scams, PNB wrote in a post on X: “ A phone call. A threat. A life’s savings at risk. An elderly customer at PNB Mama Chauraha branch (Lucknow) was pressured to transfer her hard-earned money under a… ‘digital arrest’ scam. Thanks to the alertness and timely intervention of PNB officials, the fraud was uncovered and her savings were protected. Don’t panic. Don’t transfer. Always verify. PNB stands with you against financial fraud.”