By Tanisha Mohanty
Sarla Devi ,resident of Sector 41 in Noida, was sent reeling when a cop accused her of funding the Pahalgam terrorist attack, which killed 26 people. The Mumbai police officer forced Devi to transfer over 43 lakhs in a span of 26 days.
It was only later that she realised it was an elaborate scheme concocted by cyber fraudsters. The police stated that Devi became a victim after answering a call from a telecom executive on her landline on July 18. The call was transferred to a Mumbai cop, who claimed her accounts and phone number were linked to the Pahalgam attack and further terror funding and gambling.
Afraid of being taken into custody, Devi agreed to periodically pay the cybercriminals to prove her innocence. “On the pretext of a security deposit and promising to return the money after investigation, the cybercriminals forced her to transfer all of her savings. In eight transactions through RTGS, the woman was duped of ₹43.70 lakh,” cybercrime branch SHO Ranjeet Singh commented.
When the criminals asked for an additional 15 lakh, Devi approached her neighbour– who was an advocate– for a loan. After consulting him, she realised it was a scam and consequently filed a report with the Cyber Crime Department of the Noida Police. A case under sections 308(2), 318(4), and 319(2) of the BNS and IT Act has been registered. Officers are pursuing further investigation and suspect a larger cybercrime network at work.
Devi stated in her FIR that the incident has caused her immense emotional and mental distress, along with financial loss. “The whole episode has shattered me, including my mental and physical health, in addition to losing all my finances and putting me in great trouble,” she wrote in the statement, urging police to give the criminals “exemplary punishment”.
Such cases of cybercrime and digital arrests have been rampant recently, especially targeting the elderly who might not be technologically savvy. The police and government have warned citizens to be alert and consult professionals before committing to exorbitant payments.