New Delhi, May 13 -- New Delhi: An elderly man sits trembling inside his drawing room for hours, his mobile phone camera switched on under strict instructions from a caller posing as a police officer. On the screen, a fake identity card is flashed repeatedly as the fraudster warns him that his Aadhaar number has allegedly been linked to a money laundering racket.

Moments later, another caller claiming to be from the CBI declares that he is under "digital arrest" and cannot contact his family or friends.

Terrified and isolated, the man obeys every instruction. By the time the call ends, his entire life savings have vanished.

Across India, such chilling incidents are no longer isolated crimes. The crime scene is no longer a dark alley or...