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The caller had claimed the woman’s Aadhaar-linked phone number was linked to money laundering and drug cases. The call was then transferred to two fake CBI officers on Skype who placed them on “digitally arrest”
The family was kept under continuous video and audio surveillance and their movements were severely restricted. (Representative/Shutterstock)
An elderly woman in Hyderabad and her daughters were recently victims of a harrowing digital arrest, held captive online for 17 days by cyber criminals who also stole Rs 5.50 crore from their account.
The 67-year-old woman, Bharti Bai, and her two daughters were held under digital house arrest by fraudsters impersonating as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) agents, with only brief periods allowed for the daughters to leave for exams.
Before the victims could detect the deception, the criminals coerced them into transferring Rs 5.5 crore to their accounts. The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has registered an FIR and initiated an investigation.
The incident was reported from Basheerbagh in Hyderabad. Bharti Bai Agarwal received a call on November 13. The caller informed her that her Aadhaar-linked phone number was being used in money laundering and drug cases and they were suspects. Subsequently, the caller transferred her call to two men who identified themselves as Saurabh Sharma and Ajay Gupta, posing as CBI officers. These individuals then instructed her to connect with them on Skype.
On Skype, Bharti and her daughters were told they had been “digitally arrested”. Kept under continuous video and audio surveillance, their movements were severely restricted. Only the daughters could leave the house, and that solely to attend exams. Upon their immediate return, they were required to reconnect on Skype.
During this period, the fraudsters obtained the family’s bank details. Subsequently, they applied pressure on the family to relinquish funds in order to protect themselves from supposed legal repercussions. The perpetrators said that they want to check their bank account to find out if it was being used for money laundering. Using this pretence, they extorted money from the family.
