Retired Ahmedabad professor duped of Rs 54.6 lakh in 17-day digital arrest
A retired professor was kept under digital arrest for more than two weeks after fraudsters accused her of being involved in illegal activities, including a money-laundering case linked to Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal.
A 75-year-old retired female professor in Ahmedabad was kept under digital arrest for 17 days and duped of Rs 54.60 lakh by cyber fraudsters posing as officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, police said on Thursday.
The fraudsters accused the woman of being involved in illegal activities, including money-laundering case involving Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, and kept her under constant surveillance through phone calls and WhatsApp video calls.
According to the complaint, the fraud began on August 3 when the woman received a call from fraudsters posing as TRAI officials. Two days later, they told her that pornographic photos and videos had been sent using a SIM card purchased from a shop in Mumbai in her name.
The fraudsters claimed that 25 police complaints had been filed against the number. During a video call, they showed her a list of the purported complaints. When the woman denied purchasing the SIM card or engaging in any illegal activity, the fraudsters showed her an Aadhaar card bearing her Aadhaar number.
They then told her that she would have to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) to establish her innocence and made her write an application during the video call.
Four days later, the fraudsters contacted her again through a video call, with their screens switched off. They told her that she was also linked to a money laundering case involving Naresh Goyal, despite her denial of any involvement.
The fraudsters subsequently told her that her mobile number had been used in the alleged scam and showed her several documents before making her sign an affidavit.
The woman was kept under digital arrest for 17 days, with the fraudsters instructing her not to speak to anyone or leave her house. Under the pretext of investigating the case and securing her release, they directed her to transfer money to different bank accounts in installments.
Over the course of the scam, the woman transferred a total of Rs 54.60 lakh to the accounts specified by the fraudsters, the complaint stated.
The fraudsters also instructed her to send them "good morning" and "good night" messages as part of their continued surveillance.
The woman became suspicious when the fraudsters stopped responding one day and the WhatsApp data on her phone was deleted. She subsequently contacted the cyber helpline and reported the fraud.
The Bopal police then registered a case and began an investigation into the cyber fraud.