Noida: Family of three 'digitally arrested' for 5 days, duped of Rs 1 crore
Noida, Feb 10 (PTI): A family here was duped of over Rs 1 crore after they were kept under 'digital arrest' for five days by some unknown people who posed as government officials, police said on Monday.
'Digital arrest' is a new cyber fraud, where the accused pose as law enforcement agency officials, like CBI or customs officials, and threatens people of arrest by making video calls in the name of fake international parcels of banned drugs, they said.
According to police, they received a complaint from Chandrabhan Paliwal that he had received a call from an unknown number on February 1. The caller asked him to contact the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and threatened to block his SIM card.
The caller told the complainant that his case was with the Cyber Crime Branch of Mumbai and about 10 minutes later a person claiming to be an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer made a 'video call' to Paliwal from Mumbai's Kolava Police Station, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime) Preeti Yadav said.
Paliwal said that the fake police officer accused him of extorting money and said that 24 cases were registered against him at different locations. The caller also said that the CBI was investigating the matter of money laundering, the DCP said.
Paliwal told the police that his wife and daughter were also digitally arrested after they received video calls. The callers threatened that if they did not pay the amount, they would be arrested soon, DCP said.
Yadav said that the complainant had paid Rs 1.10 crore to the accused in five days. A case was registered and further investigation is underway.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
