Thiruvananthapuram, April 21: Ths sister and friend of a Latvian woman, Liga Skromane, who went missing in March, on Saturday identified a decomposed body recovered from near Kovalam to be of the victim, Kerala Police said.

However, a detailed forensic examination would be done to scientifically confirm this.

The head of the body was found lying away from the rest of it, in a marshy spot.

Late on Friday, fishermen found the body in highly decomposed state and alerted the police .

On Saturday, Skromane's sister and friend arrived and identified the body from her dress and the hair.

The police will conduct an autopsy, which will be followed by a DNA test that is likely to be done at the city-based Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology.

Skromane had come to Kerala along with her sister Ilzie for ayurvedic treatment at a hospital in the capital outskirts here following complaints of depression.

She, however, went missing on March 14 and was last reported to have taken an auto-rickshaw ride to the famed tourist destination at Kovalam. She was without a passport or mobile phone at the time.

Her husband Andrew and her sister had printed her posters and distributed them around to help them lead to any clue. The Kerala Police had also launched a detailed probe to locate her, but failed.

Empty bottles, cigarettes and a lighter have been recovered from the place where the body was found

 

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Bengaluru, Dec 26: A Japanese national, Hiroshi Sasaki, who works in Bengaluru, lost Rs 35.5 lakh after being 'digitally arrested' by cyber fraudsters, police said, on Thursday.

 

The incident occurred between December 12 and 14, police added.

Sasaki, who lives in a flat near Dairy Circle, received a phone call on December 12. The caller was claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The caller informed him that his phone number would be blocked due to its unauthorised use.

To avoid the disconnection Sasaki was asked to dial a number.

Upon dialling the number, he was immediately connected to a WhatsApp call from someone claiming to be from the Cyber Crime wing of Mumbai Police. The caller informed Sasaki that he was involved in a money laundering case.

The fraudsters "digitally arrested" him and siphoned off Rs 35.5 lakh by having him make payments through various means, including RTGS.

He was also told that the money would be returned after the investigation was completed.

After realising that he had been duped, the victim approached the South East Cyber Crimes, Economics and Narcotics (CEN) police station and lodged a complaint.

'Digital arrest' is a new cyber fraud, where the fraudster poses as law enforcement agency officials from agencies like CBI, and customs and threatens people of arrest by making video calls.

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