In a startling incident that sounds like the plot of a high-stakes thriller, an 82-year-old textile baron was duped out of Rs 7 crore through a sophisticated virtual scam involving a fake Supreme Court hearing. This case, reported by the Punjab Police, marks a novel twist in the ever-evolving saga of online fraud in India.
SP Oswal, the seasoned chairman of Vardhman Group—a behemoth in the textile industry with a global footprint—fell victim to a meticulously planned ruse. Posing as federal investigators, the fraudsters charged him with fictitious money laundering allegations. As part of their deceit, they orchestrated an online court session where an impersonator of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud presided.
During the sham hearing conducted over Skype, Oswal was coerced into transferring his funds to what was claimed to be a “secret supervision account” to aid the investigation. The urgency and authenticity of the session were bolstered by the threat of immediate incarceration, pushing Oswal to comply without delay.
“The fraudsters conducted a Skype call, masquerading it as a legitimate Supreme Court order. I was directed to release all my funds into this account,” recounted Oswal in his statement to the police. The real Supreme Court’s registrar and the office of Chief Justice Chandrachud have yet to comment on this alarming misuse of judicial impersonation.
This scam is a part of a rising trend in India known as “digital arrests,” where scammers, sometimes clad in police uniforms, conduct false interrogations and demand money to settle non-existent legal troubles. In May, the government flagged a worrying increase in such cases, revealing that over 1,000 Skype IDs had been blocked due to their involvement in similar scams.
Authorities have made some headway in the case, with the arrest of two individuals linked to the scam on Sunday. Additionally, a significant portion of the stolen amount, Rs 5.25 crore, has been recovered, marking one of the largest retrievals in such fraud cases across the nation.
