Rayagada: A woman doctor posted in Odisha’s Rayagada district has allegedly been duped of over Rs 12 lakh through ‘digital arrest’ by cyber fraudsters.
Sources said Dr Mamata Choudhury, Additional District Public Health Officer in the office of the CDM & PHO, Rayagada, lodged a complaint with the police that she has fallen victim to scammers who posed as officers of courier agency and police.
In her complaint, Choudhury said she received a phone call a few days ago from an unknown
person who claimed to be from a courier office. The caller alleged that a suspicious bag linked to her Aadhaar number had been detected and serious charges slapped against her. Soon after, the call was diverted to another person who introduced himself as a police officer.
The fraudsters warned the doctor not to step out of her house until the verification process was completed. They threatened her with arrest if she did not cooperate and repeatedly pressured her by claiming she would face serious consequences.
The doctor was put under so called ‘digital arrest’ for two days during which the cyber criminals forced her to transfer more than Rs 12 lakh to them.
Acting on her complaint, Rayagada police, along with the cyber cell, have launched an investigation/ Police have advised the public to remain alert and not fall prey to threatening calls made in the name of law enforcement agencies.