Cyber crooks threaten two with digital arraignment in ‘court of CJI Gavai’, dupe them of Rs 6.72 cr
Mumbai (PTI): Two senior citizens from Nashik lost Rs 6.72 crore in separate incidents after unidentified cyber crooks threatened to place them under "digital arrest" and virtually produce them in the court of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, police said on Tuesday.
Nashik cyber police registered an FIR on Monday and launched an investigation into the incidents that occurred in September, an official said.
Police stated that the victims included 74-year-old Anil Lalsare, a resident of the Gangapur Road area, who is suffering from age-related ailments. Lalasare's wife has been bedridden for the last two-and-a-half years after suffering a stroke. She needs oxygen support.
The couple's son lives abroad.
"Lalasare received a call from an unknown number. The caller told him that a credit card linked to his Aadhaar card had been used for financial fraud. He told Lalasare that he would be placed under digital arrest and produced before the court of CJI Gavai if he fails to pay a fine of Rs 72 lakh", the FIR stated.
The caller also threatened the complainant with arrest by a "CBI" team if he fails to pay money and undergo interrogation in New Delhi.
"Lalasare, who couldn't walk properly due to age-related illness, went to the bank and deposited Rs 72 lakh in the account number provided by the caller", police said.
The fraud came to light on October 13 when Lalasare's relatives arrived at his residence to meet the old couple.
In another incident, an elderly man fell prey to a similar modus operandi used by cyber fraudsters.
The FIR stated that the man was threatened to be placed under "digital arrest" and produced in the CJI's court since his SIM card was used for circulating obscene photos and videos.
He ended up paying Rs 6 crore to avoid digital arrest, another police official said.
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Explosive device kills 13, injures 38 on bus in southwestern Colombia as violence persists
Bogota (Colombia) (PTI): An explosive device killed 13 people travelling on a bus in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, an attack the country's army chief described as a “terrorist act" that also left at least 38 injured as violence linked to drug trafficking in the region escalates.
Octavio Guzman, the governor of the region of Cauca, said on X that the device was set off while the bus was travelling along the Panamerican Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. Five children were among the injured, Cauca Health Secretary Carolina Camargo told Noticias Caracol, a TV news program.
Gen. Hugo Lopez, commander of Colombia's Armed Forces, told a news conference that it was a “terrorist act" and blamed the network of a man known as “Ivan Mordisco” — one of Colombia's most wanted figures — and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.
Neither Ivan Mordisco nor the Jaime Martínez faction abide by the peace agreement signed with the state in 2016.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack on X.
“Those who carried out the attack and killed seven civilians — and wounded 17 others — in Cajibío — many of them Indigenous people — are terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers,” he wrote.
The attack is the latest in a spate of explosions that have attempted to target public infrastructure. At least 26 incidents have taken place in the past two days in southwestern Colombia, which Lopez said have only affected civilians.
They included a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi, and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, where authorities took down three explosives-laden drones earlier on Saturday. No one was hurt.
On Friday, two vehicles rigged with explosives were detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage.
The escalation of violence in that region — a territory contested by illegal armed groups linked to drug trafficking — prompted the mobilisation of high-ranking officials on Saturday. Led by Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez, the delegation that includes regional governors and local authorities, was meeting in Palmira when the deadly explosion occurred.
“These criminals seek to instil fear, but we will respond with firmness,” Sanchez said on X.
Meanwhile, Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, has called upon the national government to provide “immediate support.” In a message on X, Toro called for a reinforcement of public security forces, enhanced intelligence operations and “decisive actions” against crime in the face of a “terrorist-level escalation.”
According to authorities, Cauca and Valle del Cauca serve as a critical hub for illicit activities of illegal armed groups vying for control over sea and river access routes leading to the port of Buenaventura — a key transit point used to traffic drugs to Central America and Europe.
The government has also offered a reward of more than 1 million dollars for information leading to the capture of “Marlon,” who is identified as the leader of the region's dissident group. On Friday, local authorities offered more than USD 14,000 for information leading to the identification and location of those behind the attacks in Cali and Palmira.
