A doctor in northern India’s Lucknow was duped of ₹2.81 Crore ($334,776) after she was ‘digitally arrested’ by scammers posing as government officials, the authorities said.
‘Digital arrest’ case: What happened?
Dr Ruchika Tandon, an associate professor at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), was defrauded in a sophisticated scam involving individuals impersonating officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
According to Dr Tandon, the ordeal began when she received a call from a man claiming to be a TRAI officer. The caller informed her that her mobile number was at risk of being deactivated due to 22 complaints alleging that she had sent harassing messages to various people.
The situation escalated when the caller informed Dr Tandon that a complaint had been filed against her and that she would soon receive a link to connect with a CBI officer to discuss the matter. Believing the caller, Dr Tandon followed the instructions and connected through the provided link, where she spoke with a man identifying himself as Rahul Gupta, a fake CBI officer.
Gupta then delivered alarming news, claiming that Dr Tandon’s name had surfaced in a money laundering case and in a separate investigation involving the trafficking of women and children. He warned her that she faced imminent arrest.
In a further twist, the fraudsters offered a supposed way to avoid arrest.
They proposed that Dr Tandon be placed under “digital arrest” through a video call, during which she would be instructed not to contact anyone. They assured her that her accounts would be examined during this period and that she would be released afterwards.
Under the pretence of this “digital arrest,” the scammers managed to extract sensitive information about five of Dr Tandon’s bank accounts. Exploiting this information, they transferred approximately ₹2.81 crore from her accounts to theirs.
What does it mean?
The incident has raised concerns about the increasing sophistication of fraud schemes targeting unsuspecting individuals, particularly those in positions of authority.
Also watch | Cybersecurity report reveals rise in social media investment scams in India
Local authorities are investigating the matter, and efforts are underway to trace the perpetrators and recover the stolen funds.
Can you be digitally arrested?
No. Nobody can be digitally arrested. WION can confirm that nowhere in the world do the law books mention digital arrest in any form.
Authorities have urged the public to exercise caution when receiving unsolicited calls, especially from individuals claiming to represent government agencies and to verify such claims before sharing personal information.
(With inputs from agencies)
Mukul Sharma
viewMore
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.