Hyderabad, Nov 24 (PTI) The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) on Monday said it has foiled a “digital arrest” extortion attempt and rescued an 80-year-old doctor and his family in Bhadradri Kothagudem district from three days of “harassment” by cyber fraudsters posing as CBI officials.
The fraudsters had put the elderly doctor, who runs a Nursing Home in Bhadrachalam, his daughter-in-law and his minor granddaughter under “digital arrest”.
On November 20, the doctor received WhatsApp video calls from the offenders impersonating as CBI officials. They falsely claimed that a bank account opened with his Aadhaar in Mumbai was linked to over 100 criminal cases being investigated by the CBl, TGCSB Director Shikha Goel said in a release.
To terrorise the family, the fraudsters instructed them not to inform anyone, claiming they were “under CBI surveillance.” They forced them to maintain hourly video-call contact and collected complete bank information from the victims, including details of amounts available in their bank accounts and fixed deposits etc, she said.
They coerced them to prematurely break the FD and prepare to transfer funds to them, the TGCSB Director said.
When the family stopped responding and failed to attend the hospital, their assistant grew suspicious. After being repeatedly asked, the victims disclosed the ongoing coercion to the assistant, who informed the matter to the District Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, Kothagudem District, of TGCSB on November 23 night.
Immediately, Deputy SP Ashok Babu and lnspector Jitender reached the residence of the doctor and cut off communication with the fraudsters.
“Their prompt and timely intervention prevented a major financial loss and ended the family’s psychological distress,” Goel said.
The Cyber Crime Police have initiated a detailed technical probe.
Tracing the fraudsters’ IP addresses, analysis of call-routing paths, examination of device identifiers, and coordination with service providers and national cybercrime platforms are currently in progress to identify the originators and disrupt the network involved, the senior official further said.
The Cyber Crime Police urged citizens to remain vigilant and said no police, CBl, or government agency conducts “digital arrests” or WhatsApp inquiries. PTI VVK VVK ROH
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