Ankush Bhuguna, a popular Indian YouTuber, recently shared a shocking experience on Instagram.

He received an international call informing him of a cancelled parcel order. The automated message asked him to press zero for more information. When he did, he was connected to someone pretending to be customer support, who claimed his parcel was seized by the police for illegal content.

Things escalated quickly as Ankush was told the police had an arrest warrant and they could take him into custody anytime. Despite denying any knowledge of the parcel, his call was transferred to a fake police officer via a WhatsApp video. The imposter also accused him of serious crimes like money laundering and drug trafficking, demanding his cooperation.

Ankush was threatened with career ruin and told to remain quiet, hand over his bank details, and send the money demanded. The YouTuber was terrified and felt trapped, crying and pleading for help. His ordeal lasted over 40 hours until his friends intervened and rescued him.

This scam is part of a growing problem in India, where fraudsters use fear to trick victims into transferring money, and Ankush became one of the many who have fallen for such scams, which cost Indian citizens millions each year.

The YouTuber warned others in an Instagram video describing the incident, which has been viewed over seven million times and widely shared.