Bengaluru: The growing menace of ‘digital arrest’ struck once again, this time in Bengaluru.
Two women were allegedly held hostage on a video call for nearly nine hours and forced to strip naked under the pretext of an “online medical examination” by cyber fraudsters posing as police officers, PTI reported.
According to police, the women were threatened with the “nude images and video recorded during the so-called medical examination,” which the fraudsters claimed was necessary to identify birthmarks and moles.
A 46-year-old Bengaluru-based woman approached the East CEN police station on Saturday, when a complaint was filed under the Information Technology Act and Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The complaint said that the woman and her childhood friend, an international instructor based in Thailand who is visiting India, were scammed by individuals claiming to be police officials from Mumbai’s Colaba police station.
On July 17, at around 11 am, her friend received a call from the fraudsters, who alleged that she was involved in a ‘Jet Airways scam.’
According to the FIR, the fraudsters accused her of involvement “in money laundering, trafficking, and also murder.”
The accused provided different forged documents, including arrest warrants and a fake CBI ID card. The scamsters even shared the woman’s bank card details correctly, scaring them further.
“We weren’t allowed to leave the house, as they claimed we were under surveillance,” the complainant told PTI.
The documents were so convincing that the women believed they were dealing with real officials.
Fearing serious consequences, they complied with their demands and transferred Rs 58,477 to a specified bank account, as instructed.