Fake Police Calls, Court Notices, and 70 Hours of Threats: Retired Doctor Dies After Falling Victim to ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam
Fake Police Calls, Court Notices, and 70 Hours of Threats: Retired Doctor Dies After Falling Victim to ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam
Hyderabad: A shocking case of cyber fraud has come to light in Hyderabad, where a 76-year-old retired government doctor died after enduring nearly three days of continuous harassment by cybercriminals.
The victim, who had earlier served as chief senior resident medical officer at Mamidipudi Nagarjuna Area Hospital in Malakpet, was targeted by fraudsters posing as Bengaluru police officials.
The ordeal began on September 5, when the woman received WhatsApp video calls from individuals using the police department’s logo as their profile picture. To convince her, they produced forged documents carrying the seals of the Supreme Court, Reserve Bank of India, and the Enforcement Directorate.
The scammers falsely accused her of involvement in a human trafficking case and threatened her with arrest under the National Security Act if she did not comply. Terrified, she transferred ₹6.6 lakh from her Union Bank pension account to an ICICI Bank account in Maharashtra on September 6.
However, the harassment did not stop. The fraudsters continued to send her fake court notices, threatening messages, and calls from another number saved on her phone as “Jaishankar Sir.” The sustained psychological pressure took a heavy toll. On September 8, after nearly 70 hours of intimidation, she collapsed at home with severe chest pain. Despite being rushed to two hospitals, doctors declared her dead around 12:30 pm.
Her family, unaware of the trauma she was going through, only discovered the details of the scam after her funeral on September 9. Shockingly, the criminals continued sending her messages even after her death, the last being a “good morning” text on September 10.
Hyderabad’s cybercrime police have registered a case under the IT Act and sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Investigators are now tracking the phone numbers and bank accounts used in the fraud.
