In 8 days of digital arrest, Elderly doctor loses Rs 3 crore

Mumbai: Fraud cases targeting doctors are on the rise, with yet another incident involving a 70-year-old doctor who lost Rs 3 crore in a fake money laundering scam. The scammers threatened her and kept her under "digital arrest" for eight days, during which she was forced to transfer the money to multiple bank accounts. 

The scammers made the fake case seem so real that the doctor felt she had no choice but to do what they said. For eight days, they watched her through video calls and forced her to give updates every hour, which caused her a lot of stress and mental pressure.

Not just that, the scammers also threatened her with criminal charges, which could result in jail. They showed her fake documents that looked like they were from the CBI, Enforcement Directorate, and RBI. Out of fear, she ended up giving them the money. 

Also read- Kolkata doctor loses Rs 36 lakh to online investment scam, accused arrested

As per a PTI news report, the incident took place in the month of May when the victim got a call from a person identifying himself as a telecom department staffer, Amit Kumar, who told her a SIM card had been bought with her details for use in criminal activities.

She then got a call from another person who identified himself as Crime Branch officer Samadhan Pawar. He told the victim that her bank account and debit card details were found in a raid at the residence of an airline company owner who was earlier arrested for money laundering and is currently out on medical bail.

Following this, a man in a police uniform also spoke to her husband on a video call, all of which convinced her about the case. She was then put under video surveillance, which these fraudsters call digital arrest, for eight days. She was made to report to them every hour during this period. Out of fear, she transferred Rs 3 crore into various bank accounts given to her. 

After realising that she had been cheated, she approached the West Region cyber police station on June 5, after which a case was registered under sections 318 (cheating), 336 (forgery) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and section 66D (cheating by personation by using computer resource) of the Information Technology Act.

A probe has found the accused converted Rs 82 lakh into cryptocurrency. An investigation is on to nab them and retrieve the lost money.

Medical Dialogues recently reported that a retired doctor from a prominent private hospital in Kannur fell victim to a major online scam and lost Rs 4.43 crore after being lured into a fake share trading investment scheme.

Also read- Retired doctor loses Rs 4.43 crore in online trading fraud