In the Dumka district of Jharkhand, a shocking incident of cyber fraud has been reported in which an assistant professor was allegedly swindled out of almost 15 lakh with a high-tech scam of a so-called digital arrest. The case has brought up again the increasing danger of cybercrime and the methods that are employed by swindlers to influence their victims psychologically.
As per the police sources, the victim is an assistant professor who was employed in a government-aided college located in Dumka. The unknown persons delivered a phone call to him stating that they were the authorities of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The alleged offenders were the Aadhaar information of the professor, which was allegedly used to secure a SIM card that was allegedly being used to carry out illegal activities.
The scammers proceeded with the issue by linking the victim to other people posing as the Mumbai Police and CBI representatives. In several phone calls and WhatsApp video calls, the accused presented forfeit documents and declared that a serious case, which involves money laundering, had been filed against him. He was informed that he was under digital arrest and was not supposed to tell anybody, including his family members.
During several days, the fraudsters made the victim experience psychological pressure, threatening to be arrested, prosecuted and cause damage to his family. The professor was afraid of his reputation and his safety being ruined, and was asked to deposit cash to confirm his bank accounts, as well as not to be arrested as soon as possible. Fearing it, he made the RTGS transfers of approximately 15 lakh into the bank accounts offered by the scam artists.
Soon after the communication came to a sudden halt, the professor realized he had been cheated. He then took the matter to the nearby police station and filed a complaint. Dumka police have filed a case under the pertinent provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act. The bank accounts and digital footprints of the accused are currently being investigated in order to trace them.
According to the police authorities, cases of police digital arrests are increasing throughout the nation. In such instances, cybercriminals are known to pose as law enforcement officers or government officials to forcefully get money by threatening the victims. The police have once again stated that no police, CBI, or agency of government makes arrests or inquiries over the phone by video calls, and no one requests money to be transferred to close the case.
The police have encouraged the citizens to be cautious, not to share personal or bank-related information during calls and to call the cybercrime helplines or local authorities to report suspicious calls. The case is a warning sign that even educated professionals may become victims of cyber fraud by employing fear and urgency as instruments of persuasion.
