Doctor kept under 'digital arrest' for 8 days, loses Rs 3 cr to cyber criminals
Mumbai (PTI): A 70-year-old doctor was cheated by cyber criminals of Rs 3 crore and kept under "digital arrest" for eight days after being accused of involvement in a non-existent money laundering scam, a Mumbai police official said on Saturday.
In the month of May, the victim got a call from a person identifying himself as telecom department staffer Amit Kumar, who told her a SIM card had been bought with her personal details for use in criminal activities.
"She then got a call from another person who identified himself as Crime Branch officer Samadhan Pawar. He told the victim that her bank account and debit card details were found in a raid at the residence of an airline company owner who was earlier arrested for money laundering and is currently out on medical bail," the official said.
The accused sent her multiple documents claiming these were from probe agencies like CBI, Enforcement Directorate as well as the RBI.
"A man in police uniform also spoke to her husband on video call, all of which convinced her about the case. She was then put under video surveillance, which these fraudsters call digital arrest, for eight days. She was made to report to them every hour during this period. Out of fear, she transferred Rs 3 crore into various bank accounts given to her," he said.
She approached West Region cyber police station on June 5, after which a case was registered, the official said.
A probe has found the accused converted Rs 82 lakh in cryptocurrency, he said, adding efforts were on to nab them and retrieve the lost money.
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Conspiracy afoot to 'tarnish' image of Dharmasthala: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Aug 14 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said there was a “conspiracy” to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala.
His comments come amid an ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into serious allegations of mass burials in the revered temple town in Dakshina Kannada district.
“A conspiracy is being hatched to destroy hundreds of years of legacy. It is not correct to tarnish someone just like that. It has all happened due to one complainant,” he said.
Noting that some Congress MLAs have called for action against those involved in the slander campaign at the legislature party meeting, he said, “ I have told them that action must be taken against those who are indulging in a slander campaign. The CM has also said that action must be taken against such people.”
“I have information on this case. Religious feelings should not be hurt in any manner. Culprits must be punished,” he told reporters, according to a release from his office.
Responding to a question, Shivakumar said the Congress party will not allow the image of any religious place to be tarnished.
“We see everyone equally when it comes to religion,” he added.
The SIT, formed by the state government, is probing claims of mass murder, rape, and mass burials in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.
The complainant, a former sanitation worker whose identity has not been revealed, alleged that between 1995 and 2014 he was forced to handle bodies—including women and minors—and that some showed signs of sexual assault. He has given a statement before a magistrate.
As part of the probe, the SIT has been conducting exhumations at multiple locations identified by the complainant-witness in the forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala, where some skeletal remains have been found at two sites so far.
