A female clerk employed with the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) fell victim to a sophisticated and prolonged cyber fraud, losing a staggering sum of Rs 23.33 lakh. The criminals exploited the occasion of her wedding anniversary to initiate the scam and then subjected her to a state of "digital arrest" for almost an entire month, using fear and impersonation as their primary weapons.
The Wedding Anniversary Trap That Started It All
The woman's harrowing ordeal began on November 28, the day of her wedding anniversary. She received a WhatsApp call from a person identifying himself as an NRI named "Manoj," who offered to send her an anniversary gift. Although she declined the offer, the trap was already set. Shortly after, a second caller, posing as a courier agent, contacted her and demanded Rs 10,000 for the return of a parcel. Unwittingly, this payment became the first step in a devastating financial and psychological chain.
From Fake Gift to Fake CBI and Digital Imprisonment
The situation escalated rapidly within hours. The caller's demeanor shifted from persuasive to openly menacing. Another individual entered the scene, introducing himself as an officer from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This fake officer alleged that the parcel contained illegal materials and sternly warned the victim that her arrest was imminent.
From that point onward, the fraudsters placed the woman under constant virtual surveillance. Through a relentless barrage of WhatsApp calls, video calls, and messages, they kept her in a state of terror. They fed her complex legal jargon, displayed forged documents and authority, and issued dire threats of jail time, criminal cases, and even physical harm to her husband and children. This psychological imprisonment, where she was isolated and manipulated through digital means, is what police term a "digital arrest."
The Financial Drain and the Eventual Break
Paralyzed by fear, the victim complied with the fraudsters' demands. Between November 29 and December 22, she was coerced into transferring money to multiple bank accounts. To gather the funds, she was forced to sell her personal jewellery and borrow money from relatives, culminating in a total loss of Rs 23.33 lakh. The extortion was so pervasive that she was even instructed to open a fresh bank account on December 17, which the criminals continued to exploit.
The spell of fear was finally broken on December 23. When the victim mustered the courage to tell the callers that she would inform her husband, their reaction was evasive. During a subsequent call with her husband, their deception became apparent, exposing the entire elaborate scam.
Following this revelation, the family approached the police. An FIR was registered at the cyber crime police station on December 24. Brajesh Yadav, a police official involved in the case, highlighted the severity of the incident, stating, "This is a rare case of digital arrest, where the victim was mentally imprisoned through fear and impersonation." He added that investigators are meticulously tracing the complex money trail to identify the culprits.
Authorities have issued a crucial warning to the public: no legitimate investigative agency like the CBI or police conducts arrests, demands money, or carries out investigations over WhatsApp or video calls. They emphasize that instilling fear is the most powerful tool in the cyber criminal's arsenal, and citizens must remain vigilant and verify any such communication directly with local police stations.
