How stepson siphoned off Rs2.6 million from father’s bank account

New Delhi: In a startling case of betrayal and deceit within a family, the Cyber Cell of Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly siphoning off Rs26.32 lakh from his own father’s bank account over four months, the officials said on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Shivam Sharma, a BA graduate and former BPO employee, was arrested on October 25 following an extensive investigation led by Inspector Subhash Chandra and his team under the supervision of ACP Anil Sharma.

“Police have recovered 100 grams of gold and frozen Rs3 lakh in his HDFC Bank account,” the police said in its press note.

According to officials, the victim, a 68-year-old former parking operator at Azadpur Mandi, had limited digital literacy and had entrusted his stepson with managing his bank transactions. Exploiting this trust, Shivam allegedly executed a meticulously planned digital fraud.

On March 23, while his father was attending the last rites of his first wife, Shivam reportedly stole the SIM card linked to the bank account.

He then created a fraudulent UPI ID, purchased gold coins through Amazon and Flipkart, and concealed the items in a wall-mounted almirah.

He also routed about Rs6 lakh in cash through cyber cafe operators, offering them a commission of up to 10 per cent.

To erase digital traces, he later destroyed the SIM card and his mobile phone.

In a disturbing twist, Shivam even helped his father lodge a cybercrime complaint, pretending to be unaware of the fraud.

Investigators said the motive stemmed from deep-seated family resentment. Shivam, the son of his father’s second marriage, allegedly felt alienated after his father handed over the family’s parking business to his elder son from the first marriage.

During interrogation, Shivam initially denied the charges but later confessed, leading to the recovery of the stolen gold and funds.

The case highlights the growing intersection of family disputes and cyber-enabled financial crimes, police said. Further investigation is underway.