A 69-year-old doctor from Berhampur, Odisha, was defrauded of over Rs 1 crore by con artists posing as law enforcement officers in a heartbreaking instance of cyber theft. The fraud started in May when the victim got a WhatsApp contact from an unidentified person posing as a representative of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The caller claimed that the doctor’s cell phone number had been connected to illicit activity, such as an instance of MDMA drug smuggling. The scammer went on to claim that the victim’s Aadhaar card information had been used fraudulently.
The caller exacerbated the matter by putting the doctor in contact with a “Mumbai police officer” after he denied any involvement in the illegal operations. The doctor was supposedly put under “digital arrest” by this officer, who claimed that the police were keeping tabs on him and limiting his freedom of movement. The doctor was warned not to end the video chat and that he would be arrested right away if he did. Fearing legal repercussions, the terrified victim obliged. The con artists took advantage of the doctor’s anxiety and bewilderment to keep applying more and more pressure.
In order to clear his record and prevent his detention, the scammers requested a sizable “security deposit” the next day, claiming that Berhampur municipal police were keeping an eye on him. When the investigation was over and no misconduct was discovered, the con artists promised the doctor that the money would be returned. The doctor made two transactions totaling Rs 1 crore while under extreme mental strain. The con artists continued the deception by making repeated calls and requesting more money.
The doctor realized he had been duped since, despite his best attempts to comply with their requests, no money was returned as promised. He complained to the Odisha Crime Branch on June 7th, and they opened an investigation. They located and detained Abdul Saleem, a 33-year-old man from Nizamabad, Telangana, who is thought to be a major player in the gang behind the scam, using bank account tracking and further evidence. The authorities are still working to apprehend additional fraudsters from the group.
This event demonstrates the growing danger of digital scams, in which con artists use victims’ fear and vulnerability—particularly when it comes to legal and law enforcement threats—to defraud them into sending enormous quantities of money.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA
