Noida doctor put under digital arrest, loses Rs 60 lakh in just two days

A doctor in Noida fell victim to cyber scam, losing Rs 60 lakh after being subjected to digital arrest by fraudsters. According to a report by news agency PTI, an FIR has been lodged in the matter at the Cyber Crime police station in Sector 36, Noida. The police registered a complaint against the unidentified suspects under sections 308 (2) [extortion], 319 (2) [impersonation], 318 (4) [cheating] of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita, and relevant sections of the IT Act.
The incident highlights the rising cases of cyber crimes in the country.Recently a 77-year-old lost a staggering Rs 1.2 crore to a similar scam.

How the scam happened

As per the report, Dr Pooja Goel who is a resident of Sector 77 received a call from the accused posing as Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) official. The caller alleged that a mobile number registered in her name has been used to purchase illegal obscene videos. The fraudster further implied her name in a money laundering case investigation.
The scammer warned her that failure to transfer all her funds would result in an arrest warrant, the police said.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cyber) Vivek Ranjan Rai said, “The woman was connected (on call) to ‘Tilak Nagar Police Station, Mumbai’, where she was falsely informed about an FIR and arrest warrant related to the circulation of illegal pornographic videos linked to her name.”

“The callers instructed her to join a video call, during which they employed various threats, placing her under ‘digital arrest’. They menaced her with potential harm to her and her family, including the abduction of her daughter,” ACP added.
Complying with the demands of the scammers, the doctor ended up transferring Rs 59,54,000 from her bank account to those of the fraudsters between July 15 and July 16.

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