Senior citizen placed under digital arrest for 'Delhi blast probe', forced to pay Rs 16.50 lakh
Mumbai (PTI): A 75-year-old retired BMC official was allegedly duped of Rs 16.50 lakh by cyber fraudsters who posed as ATS and NIA officials and placed him under a "digital arrest" for 'interrogation', claiming his name surfaced in the Delhi Bomb blast case, police said on Wednesday.
The incident came to light on Monday after the victim, a resident of Andheri East, approached the West Region Cyber Police Station, an official said.
According to the police, the victim received a call on December 11 from unidentified persons claiming to be officers from the Delhi Anti-Terrorism Department. The caller threatened him, saying his name had surfaced in a Delhi bomb blast case and that he needed to be interrogated secretly.
The caller then asked the victim to download the Signal application, where he received a video call. During the call, one of the fraudsters posed as NIA officer Sadanand Date.
The caller told the victim that a bank account linked to his mobile number had allegedly received Rs 7 crore through money laundering activities and warned that he would be arrested in the case, police said.
Citing the seriousness of the matter and its alleged connection to national security, the caller instructed the victim not to discuss the issue with anyone.
Claiming that the agency needed to verify whether his investments and deposits were from legal sources, the fraudsters asked the victim to transfer his money to certain bank accounts for verification.
Accordingly, the victim deposited Rs 16.50 lakh, following which the caller blocked his number.
The victim then approached the cyber police and lodged a complaint, based on which a case has been registered against unidentified persons, the official said.
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Govt directive to offer 60 pc flight seats without additional charges put on hold
Mumbai (PTI): The government on Thursday "put in abeyance" its earlier direction to airlines to offer at least 60 per cent of seats in a flight without levying any additional charge from April 20, according to sources.
On March 18, the civil aviation ministry announced that directions have been issued to the DGCA to direct airlines to allocate a minimum of 60 per cent of seats for selection on any flight free of any additional charges to ensure fair access for passengers.
"The matter has been reviewed in light of representations received from the Federation of Indian Airlines and Akasa Air, highlighting operational and commercial implications of the above provision, including its potential impact on fare structures and consistency with the prevailing deregulated tariff regime.
"In view of the above, and pending a comprehensive examination of the issue, it has been decided that the provision relating to offering at least 60 per cent of seats free of charge shall be kept in abeyance till further orders," Civil Aviation Ministry said in a communication to the DGCA.
At present, 20 per cent of the seats can be booked free of charge, while the rest are paid.
Generally, airlines charge Rs 200 to Rs 2,100 for choosing seats, depending on various factors, including front rows and extra leg room, a travel industry executive had said last week.
The move to allocate a minimum of 60 per cent of seats for selection on any flight came against the backdrop of rising complaints that airlines were levying high charges for various services, including seat selection.
