Confined to room for 11 days, man pays Rs16L to cyber frauds

Lucknow: A retired govt employee was under digital arrest for 11 days while cyber fraudsters posing as enforcement directorate officials duped him of Rs 16 lakh, said police. The incident came to light on Sunday. FIR was registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station.Resident of Sadrauna in Para area, retired govt official Puran Ram told police that on Feb 27, a caller using unknown number introduced himself as inspector Ranjeet Yadav and told him that ED officer Prem Kumar Gautam would speak to him regarding a serious matter. Shortly, another man identifying himself as ED officer Prem Kumar Gautam contacted him through a WhatsApp video call and accusing Puran Ram of being involved in a money laundering case, threatened him with arrest and jail.The caller told him that if he wanted to avoid immediate arrest, he would have to co-operate with the "investigation". Police said the fraudsters then instructed the man to remain isolated in a room and available for calls as part of supposed investigation. He remained confined to his room for 11 days.During this period, the accused asked Puran Ram to share copies of his Aadhaar card and his wife's Aadhaar card. The fraudsters then claimed that his wife's bank account was used for suspicious transactions and that they needed to verify the family's financial records. They asked for details of all bank accounts "for verification"and gave him a bank account number to transfer money into it.Puran Ram transferred Rs 10 lakh from his bank account through RTGS on Mar 6. On Mar 9, he transferred Rs 6 lakh from his wife's account. After receiving Rs 16 lakh, the scammers continued to demand more money. At this point, he grew suspicious and disconnected the call. Puran Ram approached Cyber Crime Police Station and lodged a complaint.Cyber Crime inspector Brijesh Yadav said, "The mobile numbers used by the accused are being examined and efforts are being made to trace the fraudsters. We also contacted the bank concerned to freeze the transferred amount," he said. Police once again warned citizens about the growing trend of "digital arrest" scams, where fraudsters impersonate officials from agencies such as ED, CBI, or police and threaten victims with arrest in order to extort money.