Retired Yamunanagar doctor loses Rs 1.42 crore in 18-day digital arrest scam
Yamunanagar: A retired Civil Hospital doctor was allegedly swindled out of Rs 1.42 crore in a fake digital arrest scam, during which fraudsters reportedly kept him under mental duress for nearly 18 days by claiming that he was being questioned as part of an official investigation into anti-national activities
The doctor, identified as a resident of Ansal Town in Jagadhri, Yamunanagar, Haryana, lodged an online complaint with the cyber police after realising that he had been defrauded.
According to the complaint, the victim received a call on June 3 from an individual who claimed to be an officer with a national security agency. The caller alleged that the doctor's documents had been recovered from a criminal involved in suspicious financial transactions and anti-national activities. The fraudsters then threatened that if he did not cooperate with their so-called investigation, legal action would be taken against him and he would be arrested.
It is alleged that the scammers instructed the doctor and his wife not to leave the house, not to speak to anyone, and to keep their mobile phone cameras on throughout the day. The couple remained on the video call for an extended period, believing they were under government surveillance.
Due to constant fear and mental pressure, the doctor allegedly transferred a total of ₹1,42,09,022 across several bank accounts between June 3 and June 18. During this period, he stopped going to the hospital, ignored phone calls from friends and colleagues, and mostly remained in isolation.
According to the Punjab News Online report, the police stated that the fraudsters took advantage of the fact that the couple lived alone in Jagadhri, while their son resides in Canada.
Meanwhile, Manoj Kumar, SHO of the Cyber Police Station, stated that an investigation has been launched to trace the network behind the fraud and identify the bank accounts where the transferred funds were deposited.
