In a cybercrime case that could easily be the plot of a Bollywood thriller, fraudsters “digitally arrested” a 71-year-old woman from Matunga, staged a fake online court trial, and extorted a whopping Rs 4.82 crore from her. The culprits falsely declared her guilty in a fabricated case.
Police reports reveal that the Central Cyber Police arrested two men—Bapi Das (53) and Saurish Nag (41)—both from Kolkata, in connection with this alarming scam. The two men are allegedly part of a cyber fraud network that provided bank accounts to channel the stolen funds. Investigations show that Rs 30 lakh was transferred to Das’s account, while Rs 25 lakh went to Nag’s.
The victim, a senior citizen, first received a suspicious call in December, regarding a mobile recharge. Two days later, another call instructed her to press “9” to speak with a customer care representative. Trusting the caller, she complied.
The person on the other end claimed to be from TRAI and informed her that her number was involved in a scam worth Rs 6.8 crore. When she refused to provide her bank details, a second person called, pretending to be a customs officer investigating the matter.
