Retired official AI image incident — Sep 2026

A retired official was defrauded of ₹2.36 crore after being placed under a digital arrest by cybercriminals posing as senior judicial and government officials. The scam was uncovered after an SBI branch manager alerted authorities to the victim's suspicious and repeated large-sum transfers.

What happened

The perpetrators utilized a combination of intimidation and advanced technology to coerce the victim into transferring funds. The fraudsters claimed to represent higher judiciary and government departments, keeping the victim under a state of digital arrest to maintain control. To facilitate the extortion, the alleged mastermind, 32-year-old Arun Kumar Dubey, utilized AI to generate deepfake images and forged official documents, which were used to blackmail and intimidate the victim.

The victim transferred approximately ₹2.36 crore into three separate bank accounts before the scam was reported. Upon receiving the complaint, the Sonbhadra Cyber Crime Police station registered an FIR and contacted the involved banks to place restrictions on the accounts. Authorities successfully froze ₹75 lakh of the stolen funds. During the subsequent investigation, police arrested Dubey in Prayagraj, along with two associates, Priyanka Mishra and Tejal, in Maharashtra. Evidence recovered from the suspects included five mobile phones, a fake Allahabad High Court advocate identity card, ₹2.10 lakh in cash, and a Tata Harrier vehicle allegedly purchased with the proceeds of the fraud. Police are continuing efforts to trace the remaining funds and identify further associates involved in the operation.