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.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
