Ludhiana:
In the digital-era, the scammers are exploiting technology to dupe unsuspecting victims leading to a surge in cyber-crime.
Nowadays, Ludhiana is witnessing repeated incidents of ‘Digital Arrest’ where fraudsters impersonate authorities to intimidate individuals into transferring large sums of money.
Recently, the fraudsters have targeted an 80-year-old retired college principal from Rajguru Nagar of the city, held under ‘Digital Arrest’ for five days and duped her of Rs 47.30 lakh.
The FIR has been registered regarding this case at Cybercrime station on January 15. The victim, Sushila Verma, revealed that she had received a call on January 7 from someone impersonating a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer. The caller accused her of laundering money through a Mumbai-based bank account linked to a private airliner. To substantiate their claim, the fraudsters sent her fake arrest warrants and intimidated her during video calls that appeared to originate from a CBI office.
Claiming to need the money for a forensic examination of her transactions, the scammers convinced Verma to transfer Rs 47.30 lakh in multiple transactions, promising to refund the amount within 72 hours. Throughout this period, they maintained digital surveillance over her via video calls, warning her not to disclose the matter to anyone.
However after realizing she had been duped, Verma filed a complaint with the cybercrime police station.
Not a lone case
This 80-year-old retired college principal was not the first victim of this modus operandi of fraudsters. Prior to this, several incidents have been reported from the city, including a high-profile scam in which scammers have used similar modus operandi to dupe Padma Bhushan awardee and Vardhman Group head, SP Oswal of Rs 7 crore, around four to five months ago.
Besides, some of the recent cases include —
An 81-year-old retired army officer was duped of Rs 35.30 lakh between January 7 and 9.
In November 2024, fraudsters targeted a 66-year-old retired chief accountant, Bhupinder Singh, by impersonating CBI officers and made him transfer Rs 8.08 lakh.
In the same month, a 73-years-old retired Merchant Navy engineer fell victim to cyber-fraudster and transferred Rs 24.2 lakhs.
Staying vigilant is very important – Inspector Jatinder Singh, SHO, Cybercrime Station
Inspector Jatinder Singh, SHO, Cybercrime Station Ludhiana said, “Staying vigilant is the first and most crucial step. Nowadays, regular awareness regarding cybercrime is being made through different channels, including social media, and even caller tunes are being played to educate users about potential cyber threats but despite all these awareness campaigns the people are not approaching the police at the right time.”
“Residents are advised to verify the authenticity of any suspicious calls and report immediately to the police in case of doubt,” he said.