New Delhi: The Supreme Court has said digital arrest scams in the country will be dealt with an ‘iron hand’.
Scamsters ‘justified’ the top court’s serious concern about the growing menace in another case of defrauding through digital arrest.
This time, the culprits used the recent Red Fort car blast to deceive an unsuspecting woman.
A surge in terror-related rumours gave cyber criminals the idea to target a Kanpur woman.
The scammers impersonated officers from the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to intimidate a woman into transferring Rs 6.66 lakh.
Sunita Gaur, the victim, received multiple calls between November 10 and 11, with fraudsters claiming her mobile number was linked to terrorist activities related to the Delhi blast. They warned Sunita she and her family will be arrested unless she complied.
“The callers were very convincing. I genuinely believed it was a real investigation and transferred the money immediately,” Sunita told reporters.
The gang even made video calls, calling themselves ATS officers.
Two other Kanpur residents, Pankaj Chaddha of Govindnagar and retired banker CK Tiwari of Vijaynagar, realised they were being lured into a trap, refused video calls and hung up as soon as they got suspicious.
After a police case was registered based on Sunita’s complaint, the Kanpur Cyber Crime unit is leading the investigation.
Describing the incident as “another serious case of digital arrest”, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Anjali Vishwakarma said the fraudsters had exploited fears surrounding the deadly Red Fort car explosion and assured that the cyber cell is working to trace and apprehend the culprits.
The Additional DCP advised that if anyone is contacted by individuals claiming to be police or investigative officers and demanding money should immediately report the matter to the nearest police station.
