Rajkot doctor put under digital arrest for 2 days, duped of Rs 22.82 in terror funding scam

Rajkot: A regular day turned into a nightmare for a doctor at Rajkot Civil Hospital, after he fell victim to terror financing and money laundering scam. The fraudsters, posing as Reserve Bank of India officials allegedly accused him of financially supporting Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. For the past two days, they held the doctor under a ‘digital arrest,’ manipulating him into transferring Rs 22.82 lakh across multiple accounts to clear his name.

The alleged scam began in August when the doctor worked at GMERS Medical College in Junagadh. He received a call from a man who identified himself as a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) representative. 

Speaking in Hindi, the caller accused the doctor of an unpaid Rs 1 lakh credit card bill. The caller claimed that the bank had registered a complaint against him and that his account would be frozen if he failed to repay the amount.

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However, the doctor denied his claim and the scam started to take a twist when the caller connected him with a man posing as a Hyderabad police officer. The accused police officer claimed that the doctor's bank account had been allegedly providing funds to Hezbollah. He allegedly linked the doctor's account to terror financing and money laundering. 

According to the police officer, the doctor's name came to light when they arrested a man in a money laundering case in Hyderabad and found the doctor's bank and card details during the raid. The man claimed that the doctor was under the scanner and had to get a NOC to clear his name. 

Further, he told the doctor he needed to acquire an NOC to avoid criminal charges and provide full cooperation. To do so, he instructed the doctor to record a video statement with a CBI officer.  

Shortly after, the doctor received a video call from another scammer claiming to be a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer who refused to show his face. The scammer sent photographs of an ID card, an arrest warrant and a police complaint against the doctor to the latter's WhatsApp number warning him of a 45-day jail sentence if he failed to cooperate.  

Falling into the trap under pressure, the doctor shared personal information, including his Aadhaar number, PAN card, and bank account details. He transferred the money through 35 transactions in a week.

After realising that he was scammed, the doctor approached the Junagadh Cybercrime police and registered a complaint under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and IT Act.

Speaking to TOI, a police officer investigating the case said, "The doctor allegedly gave him details of his Aadhaar card, PAN card and bank account details. He was forced to sit before the video call for two days and buy cryptocurrency. He was also asked to deposit money in various bank accounts to prove his innocence. Dr Javiya transferred Rs 22.82 lakh through 35 transactions in a week."

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