Bengaluru, Nov 17 (IANS) A shocking incident of a 57-year-old woman techie losing Rs 31.83 crore to cyber crooks after being trapped in a digital arrest for more than six months has been reported from Bengaluru.

The police have launched a hunt to bust the gang following a complaint lodged at the East Cyber Crime Police Station in Bengaluru, officials said on Monday.

The victim transferred Rs 31.83 crore in 187 transactions. She exhausted all her savings and deposits except for her fixed deposits. The accused had assured her that she would get her money back by February after verification, but kept postponing the date on one pretext or another. Police sources claim that this is one of the biggest digital arrest cases reported in Karnataka.

Growing suspicious, the victim lodged a complaint with the cybercrime police on November 14. She stated that due to her son’s marriage ceremony and other reasons, she had delayed filing the complaint.

According to the police, the cybercriminals kept the victim under digital arrest for more than six months and severed contact after extorting a huge amount.

Her ordeal began on September 15, 2024, when she received a call from a person claiming to be from a reputed courier company, who said that a package in her name — containing three credit cards, four passports, and banned MDMA — had been received at a courier centre in Andheri, Mumbai.

The victim told the caller that she lives in Bengaluru and knows nothing about the package. He then told her that since the package was linked to her mobile number, it could be a case of cyber fraud, and she needed to lodge a complaint. Before she could react, he connected her call to another person who claimed to be an officer from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The accused ensured that she did not contact the police helpline or seek legal assistance by convincing her that she was being monitored by cybercriminals. Later, they issued direct threats, saying that if she shared the information, they would implicate her entire family in the case.

As her son’s wedding was approaching, she succumbed to the pressure and acted as per their instructions. The accused later contacted her through Skype video, identifying himself as one Pradeep Singh. He informed her that for a week, another associate named Rahul Yadav would monitor her. She was restrained at home during this period. The accused opted for work-from-home and stayed in her residence.

On September 23, 2024, the accused asked the victim to declare her properties to the Reserve Bank of India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). After she declared her assets and cash, the accused extorted money from her in stages. They even issued her a fake clearance certificate.

Further investigation is underway.

–IANS

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