Elderly woman gets back ₹17 lakh lost in digital arrest scam after police action in Mangaluru
_vb_49.jpeg)
Mangaluru: Mangaluru City Police have helped an elderly woman recover the ₹17 lakh she had lost in a “digital arrest” scam. The money was symbolically handed over to the victim at the Police Commissioner’s office in the presence of DCPs Mithun and Ravishankar.
Explaining the case, DCP Mithun said that on October 23, a 79-year-old woman from Bejai received a WhatsApp call from a person posing as a police officer. The caller falsely claimed that an arrest warrant had been issued against her and threatened her with immediate detention unless she deposited money for verification purposes.
Fearing arrest, the woman was kept engaged on a WhatsApp video call for nearly five hours, a method fraudsters use to simulate a “digital arrest.” During this time, she went to her bank and transferred ₹17 lakh from her savings account to the scammer’s account by around 3 pm.
Later that evening, around 6 pm, she confided in a neighbour, who immediately accompanied her to the Cyber Crime Police Station to file a complaint. Acting quickly, the police contacted the 1930 cyber helpline and had the recipient account blocked. They also coordinated with the bank manager to confirm that the money was still intact.
On October 24, the police submitted a request to the court to release the frozen funds. Due to the intervening holidays, the court issued an order on October 27, after which the money was transferred back to the victim’s account.
DCP Mithun said the quick complaint and immediate action by the police made it possible to recover the entire amount. He pointed out that in most such cases, victims delay reporting due to fear or embarrassment, making recovery difficult.
In Mangaluru city limits alone, cybercriminals have duped victims of over ₹8 crore this year in eight different cases. So far, police have recovered ₹35.98 lakh. Elderly citizens are said to be the most frequent targets of digital arrest scams.
DCP Mithun warned the public that there is no legal process called “digital arrest” in India. He clarified that law enforcement agencies such as the police, judiciary, CBI, or ED do not operate in such a manner. He urged people not to panic or comply when they receive such calls, and instead, disconnect immediately and contact the Cyber Crime Police.
He also noted that digital investment scams are on the rise. Many people lose money by investing in fake trading platforms without verifying whether they are approved by RBI or SEBI. The police are conducting awareness campaigns in neighbourhoods and educational institutions to alert citizens about such frauds, he added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Who Crossed the Line in Davanagere?
If one closely observes the developments taking place within the state Congress camp after the by-elections, it becomes clear that in trying to justify one mistake as “right,” its leaders are only creating more mistakes. These by-elections, by themselves, are not capable of having any major impact on the state government. However, due to the missteps taken by Congress leaders, these elections have not remained confined to Davanagere and Bagalkot but have begun affecting the entire state unit of the party.
In Davanagere, the wounds the party inflicted upon itself have now worsened and started spreading like poison to other regions. Already, the AHINDA community, which feels it has been denied justice in ticket distribution, is hurting. Congress leaders are now adding salt to those wounds one after another. They are attempting to shift the burden of their own mistakes onto minority leaders and escape accountability. By putting those who have faced social injustice in the dock, branding them as anti-party elements, and attempting to politically isolate them, the Congress seems to be inviting a backlash.
If a socially and economically backward community, which forms the largest population in Davanagere, asking for a ticket is considered anti-party activity, then what meaning remains in the repeated claim of “social justice” that Siddaramaiah often speaks about? This is the question being raised by the AHINDA sections of the state. At the same time, the Congress has not clearly explained what social circumstances justify giving the ticket to the family of late Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
The Shamanur family, which belongs to the Lingayat community, may have made significant contributions to the Congress party. But the party, in return, has already given them enough positions and recognition. Now, asking minority and Dalit communities in Davanagere to sacrifice their opportunity for the sake of this family, and branding minority leaders who question this as anti-party, reflects poorly on the party’s approach.
Shamanur Shivashankarappa passed away as a sitting MLA. His son is already an MLA and has served as a minister. His daughter-in-law has been elected as a Member of Parliament from the Congress. Given the positions already held by the family, giving a ticket to a minority candidate would have been justified in every sense. If not, the Congress could have chosen a candidate from the Dalit community, which is the second-largest in Davanagere. Instead, by imposing an inexperienced grandson of Shamanur on senior Congress leaders in the region, the party leadership has effectively committed an act of betrayal.
Even after making such a serious mistake, the leadership is now attempting to cover it up by putting minority leaders in the dock, initiating inquiries, and using suspensions and expulsions to intimidate minority Congress leaders and workers. This reflects the depth of decline the Congress has reached in the state. People are beginning to wonder whether Surjewala and others are trying to rebuild the Congress in Karnataka by excluding minorities and Dalits altogether.
Even after deciding to give the ticket to Shamanur’s grandson, it was the responsibility of the Congress leadership to take local minority leaders into confidence and involve them in the campaign. However, minority leaders themselves have said that no one approached them or tried to persuade them to participate. This clearly shows the dismissive attitude that both the Shamanur family and the party leadership hold towards minority leaders and workers. Rather than saying minority leaders did not participate in the campaign, it would be more accurate to say that the leadership ensured they were kept out of it.
In connection with the developments in Davanagere, the party high command has announced disciplinary action against two leaders. Even in a court of law, when a death sentence is pronounced, the reasons for the punishment are clearly stated. Here, minority leaders are asking why they are being punished. They have raised several questions, and it is the responsibility of the Congress leadership to answer them.
When late Shamanur Shivashankarappa publicly called upon voters to ensure the victory of BJP leader Yediyurappa’s son, it was not seen as anti-party activity. When Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah insisted that the caste census report must be implemented, Shamanur opposed it, yet even then it was not treated as anti-party behaviour. No suspensions or expulsions followed. Instead, his grandson has now been rewarded with a ticket.
But today, minority leaders who merely asked for a ticket for their community are being branded as anti-party and targeted for punishment. When they say they were not invited to campaign, the leadership should have questioned Minister Mallikarjun and his son as to why they failed to involve them. Instead, those who raised the complaint are being treated as the accused.
There is also talk that the Shamanur family had threatened to shift completely to the BJP if the ticket was not given to them, and that the leadership gave in to this pressure. If this is true, why is such a threat not considered anti-party activity? Why are minority leaders, who remained silent even after being denied a ticket, now being targeted as anti-party elements?
The Congress leadership must answer these questions. Only then will it become clear who actually crossed the lines set by the high command in Davanagere.
In conclusion, there is little doubt that the mistakes committed by the Congress leadership during the Davanagere by-election will cost the party dearly in the upcoming Assembly elections.
