Cyber criminals hold Padma Bhushan-winning technocrat under digital arrest, extort Rs 57 lakh

CHENNAI: Padma Bhushan T Ramasami (77), a former secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, is among the latest to fall victim to ‘digital arrest’.

The Chennai resident ended up losing Rs 57 lakh to cyber frauds, who forced him to transfer what he had in fixed deposits to their mule accounts in September.

The cyber crime wing of the Greater Chennai Police (GCP) have registered a case and are investigating.

Digital arrest involves scammers impersonating law enforcement officers, typically from the Mumbai Police, Delhi Police, and Enforcement Directorate (ED), calling potential targets and fabricating a scenario to create panic in their minds at the other end of the line.

Ramasamy, a scientist-turned-civil servant was one of the longest serving secretaries in the Government of India and had served as the director of CLRI (Central Leather Research Institute) in Chennai and as director general of CSIR (Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research). He is also a recipient of Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and several science awards.

Investigations revealed that Ramasamy had to seek the permission of his digital captors to travel to Tiruchy to receive a 'lifetime award' accorded to him, when he was under digital arrest.

"I did not share my ordeal even with my brother who accompanied me to Tiruchy, or my former colleagues in CLRI (Central Leather Research Institute), as they (frauds) said I was being probed under the Official Secrets Act. They knew I was privy to the clauses in the act owing to my earlier position in the government and that my near and dear ones could be prosecuted if they came in possession of information they were not supposed to. So, I did not tell anyone," Ramasami told DT Next.

His ordeal ended only when the scammers asked him to borrow money by 'leveraging his contacts'. "No government can make me borrow money. I will face the consequences," Ramasami recalls telling the scammers, He then confided with another scientist and filed an online complaint.

Asked if he was not aware of modern day cyber crimes, the septuagenarian said he was aware of cyber crimes, but did not suspect that people like him (a former government servant) could be targeted.

A senior police officer with Tamil Nadu Police's cyber crime wing said that as many as 1,203 complaints of digital arrests in the state have been registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting (NCRP) portal in 2025 so far.

They showed my Aadhar... Had done complete research on me

“I am a man of science. But I did not apply logic. No enforcement agency will call you on the phone to say we will come and arrest you. Because you will run away, right? All that logic disappeared from me,” recalled Professor T Ramasami on his seven-day ordeal at the hands of cyber fraudsters.

Speaking to DT Next at his office in AC Tech, Anna University, where he is a Professor of Eminence, the 77-year-old narrated what he went through so that it does not happen to other people.

Around noon on September 11, Ramasami received a call on his Delhi number, one which he got when he was a civil servant. Ramasami had served as the Secretary, Department of Science and Technology between 2006 and 2014, and was also an advisor to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“That phone number is not known to many. So, I did not suspect anything,” said Ramasami. The caller, who claimed to be from the Department of Telecom, said the Delhi Police have received 14 complaints against the SIM holder and asked him to report to a police station in the national capital.

When he said he lives in Chennai, the caller said that he would connect the call to the police station. The man who came on line spoke in a rude tone, asking the elderly man to call him on WhatsApp. Ramasami, who had no use for instant messaging apps till that day, took the help of a junior colleague to download the app.

After ensuring that the septuagenarian was isolated, the scamster, claiming to be a Delhi Police sub-inspector named Mohan Singh, appeared on video call. He was dressed in khakis and was sitting in front of the Delhi police logo.

Another person joined the call and claimed that an account was opened in Canara Bank in Mumbai in Ramasami’s name using his Aadhaar credentials. That account was used in illegal activities, he said.

As if understanding his plight, they sympathetically told Ramasami that it is very common for bank officials to hand over customers’ Aadhaar details to cyber criminals. They claimed that an accused in a human trafficking case told them that Ramasami sold his credentials for Rs 10 lakh.

The call was then transferred to a woman, who identified herself as a CBI officer named Kirti Sanyal. She showed Ramasami an arrest warrant with his photograph and Aadhaar number, and said his name is among 187 suspects in a human trafficking case. The nature of the crime involved National Security Act, she said, and warned him against discussing it with anybody.

That call on September 11 went on for more than six hours, during which he was told not to visit his office the next day and instead isolate in a room in his house. It continued the next day, with the fraudsters taking turns to be on call with the senior citizen from 9 am to 5.30 pm, working on his mind relentlessly.

“They showed a copy of my legitimate Aadhaar card, a bank debit card with my name, and also substantial details about the offices I held in Delhi. It so happened that a couple of days before the first call from the scamsters, Rs 10.6 lakh was credited to my bank account. But when I checked with the branch, the bank officials were not sure about where it came from. It eventually turned out to be my own money from one of my investments. But the timing of the call, coupled with them showing my Aadhaar card and sharing personal details about some of my charities, which were not known even to my family members, got me manipulated,” explained Ramasami.

Ramasami, who remained unmarried and lived a life devoted to science, is a Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee, and winner of several science awards. On September 13, he was to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award in Tiruchy. But believing him to be in ‘custody’, he had to seek permission from the impostor CBI officer to travel to receive the award. They sent him a fake approval for his travel, but told him to be connected.

When the car he was travelling in crossed the Ulunthurpet toll plaza, Ramasami received a message from the scamsters saying he had crossed the toll plaza. This solidified his belief that he was under surveillance. The 77-year-old received the award for dedicating his whole life to science and society, all the while being trapped in cyber hell.

There were no calls on September 13 and 14. On September 15, the Delhi policeman called to inform that they now consider him a victim and not a suspect, and that he would be released after financial tracking was completed. He then asked Ramasami to transfer his savings and fixed deposits to the bank accounts they provided to complete the process.

He transferred Rs 30 lakh on September 15. The next day, he foreclosed two fixed deposits from his State Bank of India account and transferred Rs 27 lakh to Bengaluru-based Yes Bank accounts as instructed by the ‘investigators’.

On September 17, the scamsters called him to inform the good news: he was being cleared from the case, and the woman CBI officer transferred the call to a man who claimed to be the agency’s auditor. The man claimed to know Ramasami from his DST days, that he was an advisor to the Prime Minister, and even added that a couple of his relatives were his students.

The ‘auditor’ and the woman asked if Ramasami could arrange about Rs 3 crore by ‘leveraging his contacts’. Finally, at that point, Ramasami decided to seek help.

“I have never borrowed from anyone in my life. I told them no government could force me to raise money that I do not have. I said let law take its own course and that I was ready to face the consequences.“

The woman and her aides kept calling Ramasami and sent messages that they are on their way to arrest him. Meanwhile, Ramasami registered his complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and the Chennai police registered a case in November.

“We are required to share our Aadhaar everywhere, and it is connected to everything. I was told that the money stolen from me was transferred abroad immediately. They have done research on me to the point that they even knew my anonymous donations to charity. I don’t believe these could have happened without the connivance of many people and agencies that are privy to our information. Some might not know that they were part of this. So, I don’t want to attribute motives to anybody. But, that’s what it is,” Ramasami reflected.

A natural question arose whether Ramasami, who once led the science and technology department for the whole country, was not abreast of modern cybercrimes. “The truth of the matter is, no, I was not. It depends on your focus. If your focus is on positives, you don’t look at crimes. It is true that I have been privy to national security issues. You have to separate crime and security. If you want to be a successful policeman, you have to think like a criminal. But I am not a policeman; I am a scientist. I hope I have answered your question,” said the 77-year-old.

In an earlier conversation, ADGP Sandeep Mittal, who heads the Tamil Nadu police’s cybercrime wing, had told DT Next that banks should advise branch managers to be watchful of large transactions, especially involving senior citizens. “There are instances where senior citizen victims break their fixed deposits running into crores to pay the fraudsters. Branch managers should consider it as their duty to intervene in such cases,” he said.

Because of his position in the scientific community and his previous life as a civil servant, there were offers of help from several quarters to coordinate with the bank to compensate for his loss. “I have lived life in a certain way, and I don’t want to change that. I do not want to use influence to get my money back. I lost my money to crooks. If it is recovered, I will take it. I don’t want money from innocent people. Fundamentally, that I did not have to face such people in life for such a long time is a positive aspect of life for this 77-year-old man,” he stated.

Talk to boomers in your family about Cyber Crimes

From street crimes like robbery by attention diversion to cyber crimes, senior citizens are often easy targets to criminals due to a combination of social, psychological, and technological factors, opine police and health professionals, professing the need for family support from the younger generations apart from education and awareness programmes.

The Supreme Court of India was recently informed by the Union government that cyber fraudsters have scammed Rs 3,000 crore from victims, mostly from the elderly population through digital arrests alone.

While there are several other kinds of cyber crimes like investment frauds, Digital Arrest puts senior citizens through a mental turmoil, which is yet to be studied.

“When people grow old, they have a tendency to feel they are a burden on their children,” pointed out Dr P Poorna Chandrika, former director, Institute of Mental Health. “They also worry about the burden of their mistake falling on the children.”

They are anxious about losing whatever bit of independence they have in handling cash if they tell their children about being cheated. “Senior citizens do not talk about being victims of such crimes to their children because of various factors like shame, guilt and even the possibility of abuse from children. That’s why it is important to be empathetic,” said Dr Poorna.

The doctor referred to the dwindling communication between parents and children despite instant messaging. “There has been a spurt of senior living homes and children talk to their parents only during festivals, birthdays. It is important to have an empathetic talk with the elders in our family about these things,” she pointed out.

Concurring with the doctor’s view, an officer with the City Police referred to a case where a 70-year-old city resident lost over Rs 3 crore to cyber fraudsters early this year. “All her children live abroad and the woman was not aware of these crimes,” added the officer. “Senior citizens, even those who held high government positions in government, fall easily to phishing scams. The times have changed and it is important that the children pass on some wisdom to their elders too.”

Pointing out that cognition comes down as we grow old, Dr Poorna stated, “It’s important that the younger generation talk to them in an empathetic way, even if it comes to their knowledge that they have lost money.”

What is Digital Arrest?

Digital Arrest involves scammers calling potential targets impersonating as law enforcement officers, typically from CBI, Mumbai and Delhi Police among others and fabricate a scenario to instil fear and create panic in the minds of the person at the other end of the line.

Why senior citizens?

While anyone can become a victim of a digital arrest scam irrespective of age, gender or financial status, scamsters so far have largely targeted senior citizens and retired government employees, say police officials.

Limited digital literacy: Many seniors did not grow up with modern technology, making it harder for them to recognise online threats like phishing, fake websites, or malware

Trusting nature: Older adults often come from generations that value politeness and trust, which scammers exploit through convincing phone calls, emails, or messages

Social isolation: Loneliness can make seniors more likely to engage with strangers online or fall for scams that promise companionship, support, or financial help

Financial stability: Scammers target seniors because they may have savings, pensions, or good credit, making them attractive targets for financial fraud

Cognitive decline: Age-related memory or decision-making challenges can make it harder to detect suspicious behaviour or remember security advice

DIAL 1930

If you have fallen victim to such scams, please dial 1930 for the toll-free assistance provided by Cyber Crime wing or register your complaint at www.cybercrime.gov.in

Report the crime immediately

There is no ‘golden hour’ to recover money lost to cyber frauds

Dial 24x7 helpline 1930 as soon as possible. It’s the first line of defence in cases where money is lost

A recent Madras High Court circular has instructed all judicial officers that the recovery process of money lost in financial cyber crimes can be started based on the complaint registered in NCRP followed by a report submitted by the cybercrime police without insisting on FIR

Previous cases

In September 2024, the Greater Chennai Police (GCP) rescued a senior engineer with Southern Railways from a lodge in Periamet, where he locked himself up for two days believing fraudsters who held him under ‘Digital Arrest’

In March-April 2025, an elderly couple from Chennai was cheated of Rs 2.27 crore by fraudsters who made them appear on video call for several days in the guise of ‘virtual court proceedings’ and made them visit the bank in person to transfer their life savings to the fraudsters' accounts