Couple kept under ‘digital arrest’ for four months, lose ₹64L | Hyderabad News
Hyderabad: A 71-year-old man and his wife were allegedly kept under a ‘digital arrest’ for four months by cyber fraudsters who falsely claimed that he was being investigated in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack case and eventually cheated him of ₹64 lakh.According to cybercrime police, the victim, a retired govt employee, initially received a phone call claiming that he had outstanding credit card dues. When he denied owning a credit card, he received a WhatsApp call from a person impersonating an IPS officer.The caller claimed that the victim’s name had surfaced during an investigation into a person identified as Sandeep Kumar in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack case and that a case had been registered against him. The fraudsters repeatedly contacted the victim and shared details about his grandson living in the United States and his granddaughter’s daily travel route to work, making him believe they were genuine security officials.Taking advantage of his fear, the fraudsters told the couple they were under ‘digital arrest’ and threatened to implicate family members in a drug case if they failed to comply with their instructions.On multiple occasions, the accused allegedly forced the victim to transfer money on the pretext of account verification and investigation procedures. After four months, the victim realised he had been duped and approached the police, who registered a case and launched an investigation.
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