An octogenarian lady doctor of Lucknow was swindled of ₹1.55-crore through “digital arrest”. Investigators went through four states, multiple bank accounts and a network of nearly 300 accounts allegedly linked to fake gaming apps before cyber police managed to recover ₹43.14 lakh.
Dr Jiya Sultana, 80, wife of the late Dr Sajid Raza and a resident of Hazratganj, was allegedly threatened by cyber fraudsters who claimed to be officials of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in Pune. The accused told her that her Aadhaar number had been used in illegal and terrorist activities and, under the threat of legal action, allegedly kept her under “digital arrest” before extracting ₹1.55 crore from her.
According to the Lucknow Cyber Crime Police, the entire amount was initially transferred by the victim into four accounts in Kerala, Karnataka, Gautam Buddh Nagar and Maharashtra. From there, the money was moved into an IndusInd Bank account in Gurugram before being dispersed into around 300 other accounts.
“Investigators found that the money was subsequently used in what police described as payout settlements of a fake gaming app/website, creating a complicated trail intended to make tracking the stolen funds difficult,” a release from the cyber police read.
The cyber crime team coordinated with the concerned banks and other agencies to freeze the accounts involved in the fraud. As a result, ₹43,14,024 of the ₹1.55 crore allegedly cheated from the doctor has been returned to her, police said additional DCP (crime) Kiran Yadav adding that the department was making sustained efforts to identify and arrest the accused and recover the remaining amount.
The remaining funds have been frozen in the accounts identified so far, while efforts are underway to trace the rest of the money and identify and arrest the people behind the operation.
Police said a case was registered at the Cyber Crime police station under sections 318(4), 319(2) and 351(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act. The investigation is continuing.
Police reiterated that no government agency carries out a “digital arrest” through video calls and advised people not to panic if threatened with such calls.
