New Delhi: A Noida-based woman doctor has lost Rs 59 lakh after fraudsters duped her into ‘digital arrest’ for 48 hours – a modus operandi that is being continuously more used in Delhi NCR to trick people.
Noida Resident Duped of ₹59 Lakh in Cyber Scam
On July 13, Dr Puja Goyal, a resident of Noida Sector 77, received a call. The caller introduced himself as an official of Telephone Regulatory Authority of India and told Ms Goyal that her phone was being used to spread porn videos.
The doctor opposed this, but the caller proved to her into joining a video call. The woman was threatened with serious outcomes and told that she is under digital arrest. After 48 hours of being grilled, Ms Goyal shifted 59 lakh 54 thousand rupees into a specified account. On realising that she had been duped, she registered a police complaint on Monday — July 22 — at the cyber crime cell in Noida Sector 36.
Digital Arrests and Cyber Fraud: Emerging Trends and Tactics
Vivek Ranjan Rai, Assistant Commissioner of Police (cyber crime), has said they have the details of the account into which Ms Goyal passed on money. “They are being confirmed and action will be taken.”
Digital arrest is fast emerging as a preferred strategy among fraudsters to scare people and then trick them. In such cases, fraudsters confine the target to a house, sometimes a room, and pose as law enforcement bodies. Fake IDs are shared to prove to the targets that they are actual officers. Earlier, a 72-year-old woman from Delhi’s posh Chittaranjan Park area was tricked into transferring Rs 83 lakh. Like Dr Puja Goyal, Krishna Dasgupta was told that her phone had been used for criminal activities and grilled for over 12 hours.
Advisory Warns Citizens About Rising Fraud Cases, Emphasizes Verifying Suspicious Calls
Noida police recently issued an advisory to alert people about such frauds. “In recent months, around ten such cases have been reported, leading to registered FIRs and ongoing investigations,” the advisory said.
The police highlighted the significance of verifying suspicious calls, mainly those via WhatsApp or video calls and suggested checking the caller’s credentials through official channels.
“If a doubtful call alleges that legal action is being taken or asks for personal or financial details, citizens should straight away report it to the nearest police station or cyber cell,” the advisory stated.
