Retired govt official becomes victim of 'digital arrest', duped of Rs 40 lakh
Faridabad: A retired government official from Faridabad was duped of Rs 40 lakh by fraudsters posing as TRAI and Mumbai Police officials, who placed her under 'digital arrest' for 18 days, police said on Sunday.
The victim, Monika, who retired from her post as Labour Welfare Commissioner with the Central Ministry, lives with her 90-year-old mother in Faridabad, while her daughter resides in Delhi, police added.
On November 11 last year, she received a call on her mobile from an unknown number and was held hostage for the next 18 days, police said.
According to the victim's complaint, the caller introduced himself as a representative of the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) and informed her that an account had been opened in Canara Bank, Mumbai, using her Aadhar card and phone number. The caller also mentioned a large transaction made from that account involving the CEO of a private aviation company.
The victim denied opening any account in Mumbai, to which the caller replied that a huge transaction had been made from the account.
The caller then transferred the call to another individual, who introduced himself as a Mumbai Police officer. During a video call, the alleged officer showed documents related to a loan from the bank account and sent her an arrest warrant via WhatsApp.
The fraudster, claiming to cooperate with the investigation, insisted on house arrest and kept WhatsApp voice calls active day and night, instructing the victim not to tell anyone about the situation or she would be arrested, police said
During this period, the accused transferred Rs 40 lakh from her account, promising to return the money after the investigation was complete, police said.
On the 18th day, when the accused stopped responding during a video call, Monika realised she had been duped. Due to fear I did not complain to anyone for about 15 days but finally now moved to police", she said in her complaint.
A senior police officer said that an FIR has been registered and an investigation is underway.
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Four booked for tying 18-year-old to tree, beating him up in UP's Pratapgarh
Pratapgarh (UP) (PTI): Four people were booked here for the abduction and assault of a man who they allegedly tied to a tree and beat up, police said on Wednesday.
The incident, a video of which has gone viral, took place on Tuesday afternoon under the Kunda police station limits.
The FIR was registered on Wednesday evening based on a complaint from the victim's father.
According to Keshav Prasad Yadav, a resident of Mauli village, some people called his 18-year-old son Nikhil Yadav on the phone and asked him to come out of his house around 2.30 pm on Tuesday.
As he reached outside the village as instructed, the accused allegedly forced him into a car and took him towards the Tinpedwa forest area, where they tied him to a tree and assaulted, the complainant said.
The attackers also recorded a video of the incident and circulated it on social media. The purported video shows the men thrashing Nikhil one after another, while one of them is assumed to have recorded the act.
Kunda Station House Officer Manoj Pandey confirmed the incident and said efforts are underway to identify and arrest all the accused.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has shared the video on social media, describing the incident as reflective of a "dominant mindset" against the PDA (Pichda or Backward, Dalit, and Alpasankhyak or Minority), and demanded strict action against the accused.
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