Noida: A family in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, was duped by a highly sophisticated cyber scam after they were subjected to ‘digital arrest’ for five days to make them pay over ₹1 crore under the pretext of being government officials. According to a news agency Monday, police sources reported the shocking incident.
Police explained that digital arrest is one of the modern kinds of cyber fraud, in which the scammers pose themselves as officials of law enforcement agencies like CBI or customs, a statement on which said. The video calls scare victims and accuses them of engaging in illegal activities, such as receiving banned drugs via international parcels. The fraudsters issue immediate arrest and legal consequences, threatening to coerce the victims to comply with their demands.
The ordeal had started on February 1 when Chandrabahan Paliwal received a call from an unknown number, according to the complaint filed by the complainant Chandrabahan Paliwal. The caller commanded him to contact the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), promising that his SIM card was about to be blocked.
Later minutes, Paliwal was told that his case had gone to the hands of the Cyber Crime Branch in Mumbai. A few seconds later, another person took a video call from him, claiming to come from the Mumbai Kolava Police Station of an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. Paliwal was convinced he himself was a fraudster under investigation and had to do as they were told to keep away from legal trouble.
Paliwal and his family were held under immense psychological pressure to remain trapped in their house for five days following the scammers’ directions. Through these years, they were shamelessly manipulated to transfer in the range of over ₹1 crore to different bank accounts.
Preeti Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime), confirmed the incident and said that the culprits are being investigated to be identified and arrested. Authorities have urged citizens to be careful about such scams.
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