Surat Crime Branch has arrested a 37-year-old man wanted for allegedly defrauding an 88-year-old Ahmedabad doctor of ₹8.05 crore through a ‘digital arrest’ scam, in which callers impersonated Enforcement Directorate and other government officials. The accused, identified as Altaf alias Altaf Memon Habibbhai Pithadiya, was arrested near Udhna Darwaja in Surat and handed over to Ahmedabad Crime Branch for further proceedings.
The case was registered at the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police Station after the doctor, identified as Dr Hemant Bhaskarrao Thakor, received WhatsApp calls from unknown numbers in August 2025. The callers allegedly claimed to be ED officials from Mumbai and told him that ₹5 lakh linked to the Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal money-laundering case had been deposited into his Canara Bank account.
According to the report, the callers threatened the doctor by alleging that he was connected to an anti-national crime. They allegedly sent forged letters carrying the names of a Delhi court and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, along with a fake debit card and letters bearing government seals. The material was used to make the victim believe that he was under investigation by official agencies.
The accused allegedly told the doctor that discussing the case with anyone could result in 40 days in jail. He was then kept under surveillance through video calls for 24 hours, a tactic commonly described as a digital arrest. The callers allegedly forced him to sell shares held in his demat account and transfer the money from his bank account through RTGS.
Police said the fraud involved seven separate transactions, totalling ₹8,05,50,000. The case highlights how digital fraud networks combine forged official documents, threats of arrest and constant video monitoring to isolate victims from family members and financial advisers. In this instance, the alleged fraud also involved the liquidation of investments rather than only the transfer of available bank balances.
Surat police said the arrest followed specific information received while a city police team was conducting surveillance. The accused was located near the Udhna Darwaja crossroads and taken into custody. His residence is listed as Selavdar-Talaja in Bhavnagar district, while he was reportedly living in Ungam, Surat.
Police investigations have also found that a case involving an alleged ₹3.03 crore digital-arrest fraud against an elderly doctor was registered against him at the Cyber Crime West Police Station in Gurugram, Haryana. The interstate link will now form part of the further investigation after his custody was transferred to Ahmedabad Crime Branch.
Police have reiterated that agencies such as the CBI, ED and state police do not conduct arrests through WhatsApp or video calls and do not demand money from people to settle investigations. People who receive such calls have been advised to contact the nearest police station or the national cybercrime helpline 1930 immediately.
