48-hr trauma for Sinthi man under ‘digital arrest’
Times of India | 27 September 2024
Kolkata: A resident of South Sinthi area was allegedly placed under ‘digital arrest’ for about two days through Zoom video call by a cyber fraudster, posing as a Mumbai Police officer and subsequently duped of Rs 5.15 lakh. This was the second such case in the city in the last two months.
The victim had received a ‘mysterious’ video call on Aug 29. The fraudulent caller, donning the uniform of police, allegedly informed the victim that a Dubai-bound parcel, in the latter’s name, was lying with ‘Mumbai Customs’ as it contained ‘prohibited’ items.
The caller allegedly showed a copy of an FIR naming the victim. The victim was coerced into a 24X7 video call, extending for about 2 days, as the caller threatened of arresting him and his family members and conducting raids on his residence.
The scammers monitored what the victim was eating, when was he sleeping and even which books was he reading. The victim alleged that he was even monitored over the video call while bathing. Terrified and convinced by the fraudsters, the victim transferred about Rs 5.15 lakh to an account provided by the accused. “The bank account was found to be registered in Barpeta Road town of Assam,” said additional CP (I) Murlidhar Sharma, adding the victim lodged a complaint with Sinthi police station on Aug 30. The scammers’ account was blocked on Aug 31. Finally, on Sept 19, the entire amount was returned to the victim. But none has been arrested so far.