Retd doctor duped of Rs1.5cr in digi arrest

Lucknow: What began as a routine WhatsApp video call soon spiralled into an eight-day psychological siege for a 62-year-old retired doctor, who was digitally arrested, isolated and ultimately stripped of her entire life savings—Rs 1.58 crore—by cyber fraudsters posing as top enforcement officials. FIR was registered late Wednesday. Dr Manjula Srivastava, resident of Gorakhpur's Cantonment area, told police that on Feb 13, she received a WhatsApp video call from an unknown individual who claimed to be representing ATS, NIA and the enforcement directorate. The caller accused her of being involved in a money laundering case and said a bank account in her name had been used for suspicious transactions worth Rs 50 lakh.
The accused threatened her with arrest and imprisonment, warning that she could be jailed for up to a year. Living alone and unfamiliar with digital systems, the woman was isolated and kept under constant watch through calls, with instructions not to inform even her children.Under intense pressure, she was coerced into opening all her fixed deposits and transferring her life savings under the pretext of "legal verification" and "fund regularisation". Between Feb 18 and 21, multiple RTGS transactions were executed from her bank accounts into different bank accounts provided by the fraudsters.According to the complaint, Rs 30 lakh was transferred on Feb 18, Rs 80 lakh on Feb 20, and Rs 47.99 lakh on Feb 21—taking the total amount siphoned off to Rs 1,57,99,952.80.To maintain credibility, the fraudsters sent fake receipts bearing names of enforcement agencies and repeatedly assured her that the money would be returned after due verification. They even claimed to be operating from Pune and said "247 similar cases" were under process, further winning her trust.The woman has raised suspicion of insider involvement, stating that the accused appeared to have precise knowledge of her bank accounts and financial details.Gorakhpur SP Abhinav Tyagi said FIR under charges of BNS 318 (4) (cheating) and IT act had been lodged against unidentified persons. Citizens were urged to remain vigilant, avoid sharing financial details and report suspicious calls to cyber helplines.