Former Miss India duped in ‘digital arrest’ scam, loses Rs 99,000

Shivankita Dixit, the winner of Femina Miss India 2017, was recently scammed out of Rs 99,000 by fraudsters who posed as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers. The scammers tricked her into a two-hour-long digital arrest, which led to her losing a significant amount of money.

The scam started when Shivankita, who lives in Agra, received a call from someone pretending to be a CBI officer. The caller accused her of being involved in serious crimes, such as money laundering and human trafficking. He also claimed that her HDFC Bank account had funds linked to crimes like child kidnapping and robbery.

To make the situation seem more real, the scammers asked her to join a WhatsApp video call. During the call, a man appeared wearing a police uniform with "Cyber Police Delhi" written on his back. Over the course of the call, Shivankita spoke with several people, including a woman who claimed to be handling the case because Shivankita was a woman. The scammers demanded ₹2.5 lakh, threatening her with arrest if she didn’t pay.

Feeling pressured and scared, Shivankita transferred Rs 99,000, the maximum amount her bank allowed at the time. The fraudsters kept pushing her to borrow more money from friends or family.

Shivankita’s father, Sanjay Dixit, recalled how he and his family became worried when Shivankita locked herself in her room, crying during the call. “We knocked on the door several times, but she didn’t answer. When she finally opened it, we found out she had been scammed,” he said.

Once they realized it was a fraud, Shivankita and her family filed a complaint with the cyber police and an online FIR. Sanjay Dixit said, “We want our money back and hope the culprits are caught so that others don’t fall victim to this scam.”