Ghaziabad: Woman Loses Rs 9.91 Lakh After Being Held Under 'Digital Arrest' by Cybercriminals
GHAZIABAD — In a shocking incident, cybercriminals held a woman under 'digital arrest' for 24 hours, during which they extorted documents from her and took out a loan of Rs 9.91 lakh in her name. The entire sum was then transferred to the criminals' accounts. The woman only became aware of the scam when she visited her bank.
Manika Gupta, a resident of Rajbagh Colony in Sahibabad, reported the fraud to the cyber police station. According to the FIR, the incident occurred on June 11 when she received a call from an unknown number. The caller identified themselves as a representative from a courier company, claiming that suspicious goods had arrived in her name from Iran.
When Manika denied any involvement with the courier, the caller escalated the situation by claiming that the package contained drugs and that the matter was serious. The call was then allegedly transferred to someone posing as a Mumbai Police officer, who further claimed that the case was now being handled by the CBI. The cybercriminals, pretending to be law enforcement officials, convinced Manika that she was a victim of identity theft and that her cooperation was needed to avoid legal trouble.
Digital Arrest Tactics
The criminals kept Manika on a video call, coercing her into providing personal and financial documents, including her bank account number, Aadhaar card, and PAN card. They told her that a small amount would be transferred to her bank account as part of the investigation. Shortly after, Manika received a message stating that Rs 9.91 lakh had been deposited into her account. Under the criminals' instructions, she transferred the entire amount to the accounts they provided.
When the scammers cut off communication, Manika became suspicious and visited her bank the next day, only to discover that the cybercriminals had taken out an online personal loan in her name using the documents she had provided.
Rising Cybercrime in Ghaziabad
This incident is part of a growing trend of cybercrime in Ghaziabad. According to police reports, over 100 cases of 'digital arrest' fraud have been recorded in the city from January to July this year, with victims losing over Rs 65 crore. The most common scams involve threats of imprisonment, often related to fake accusations of rape or identity theft. Women have been the target in more than 40% of these cases.
The cyber police team has been tasked with investigating Manika's case. They are working to freeze the stolen funds and trace the criminals using the mobile numbers and bank account details provided.
Other Cases of Digital Fraud
In a separate incident, a company in Vijay Nagar, Ghaziabad, lost Rs 5.07 lakh after hackers gained access to their email account and sent fake invoices to a customer. The customer, unaware of the scam, transferred the amount to the hackers' account. The incident is under investigation by the local police.
Similarly, in Noida, an IT engineer was held under 'digital arrest' for three hours by cybercriminals who threatened her with imprisonment for alleged involvement in a drug-related parcel. The criminals coerced her into transferring Rs 5 lakh to various accounts, which she did after taking out a personal loan.
Conclusion
These incidents highlight the increasing sophistication of cybercrime tactics in India, where criminals are now using fear and manipulation to extort money from unsuspecting victims. Authorities are urging the public to be vigilant and to verify the identity of anyone requesting personal information or financial transactions over the phone.
As cybercrime continues to rise, it is crucial for individuals to be aware of the tactics used by criminals and to report any suspicious activity to the authorities immediately.