Mangaluru: Woman duped of Rs 3.09 cr in 'digital arrest' scam
Mangaluru, Aug 10 (PTI): A retired woman here lost Rs 3.09 crore to cybercriminals in a ‘digital arrest’ scam, police said on Sunday.
The victim, identified as Leni Prabhu, filed a complaint with the Cyber Economic and Narcotics (CEN) police station after receiving a missed call on January 15 from an unknown number. When she returned the call, a woman posing as a General Post Office official told her that a parcel sent in her name to China had been intercepted, containing 150 grams of MDMA.
The caller "threatened that the offence carried a prison sentence of over 75 years."
Claiming she could help obtain a no-objection certificate, the fraudster coerced Prabhu into surrendering 93 percent of her pension.
Under duress, Prabhu first transferred Rs 55 lakh via RTGS. Between January 17 and July 4, she made multiple transactions totaling Rs 3.09 crore to accounts allegedly provided by the suspects.
The scam was uncovered when the victim stopped receiving responses from the fraudsters.
In a 'digital arrest' scam, fraudsters allegedly impersonate law enforcement officials to deceive and intimidate victims by falsely accusing them of illegal activities. They then pressure victims into paying money to avoid arrest. The perpetrators often pose as CBI agents, income tax officers, or customs officials and contact victims through phone calls.
A case has been registered, and investigators are working to trace the perpetrators and recover the stolen funds.
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.
Man, wife arrested for murdering her lover in Mumbra
Thane (PTI): A man and his wife were arrested on Thursday in Mumbra in Thane district for allegedly murdering her lover, a police official said.
The probe into the case began after Raju Yadav, a resident of the Khardi Road area, was found dead with his throat slit on February 17, the Mumbra police station official said.
"Yadav, who was himself married, had been in a relationship with Farheen Mohammad Abid Malik (27) for the past eight months. Farheen's husband Mohammad Abid Abdul Wajid Malik (29) confronted her, after which the duo decided to kill Yadav," he said.
"On the midnight of February 17, Farheen called Yadav to an under-construction flat in the building, where she gave him a cold drink mixed with a chemical. After Raju became unconscious, Mohammad Malik came there and slit his throat. The couple has been remanded in police custody," the official said.
Further probe into the case, including where the chemical was procured, is underway, he said.
