Bengaluru woman falls prey to courier fraud, loses ₹51 lakh after being kept on ‘digital arrest’ for 10 hours: Report

A Bengaluru woman who worked at a multinational company as a product marketing head lost as much as ₹51 lakh to cyber fraudsters.

Published on: Sep 25, 2024, 16:17:53 IST

By Yamini C S

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A 31-year-old product marketing head at a multinational company in Bengaluru was allegedly scammed out of ₹51.29 lakh by cybercriminals posing as FedEx and Mumbai police officials. The victim received an automated call on September 17, where the caller claimed her Aadhaar details were being used in a narcotics smuggling operation, The Indian Express reported.

The woman was kept on a “digital arrest” via a Skype call for 10 hours. (Pic for representation)

She was coerced into a 10-hour Skype call, during which the scammers repeatedly threatened her with arrest if she did not cooperate.

The criminals, posing as law enforcement officers, informed her that a parcel containing drugs had been seized and her identity was being misused. They then transferred her to a fake Mumbai cybercrime officer, who claimed her Aadhaar was linked to illegal activities, the report said.

The scammers convinced her to stay on the video call and isolated her from family, including her husband, while they took out a ₹50 lakh loan from her ICICI bank account without her authorization, the publication noted.

The criminals drained ₹1.99 lakh from her salary account and transferred the rest of the loan amount to various other accounts. One of the scammers even impersonated a senior police officer, claiming her Aadhaar details were linked to serious crimes such as money laundering and arms purchases, the report added. He sent her a fake Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) document to maintain her silence.

Based on her complaint that was filed on September 21, police have registered a case under sections 66(c) and 66(d) of the Information Technology Act and section 318 (4) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Courier firm FedEx had earlier clarified that it does not request personal information through unsolicited calls and urged people to report such incidents to authorities immediately, especially after frequent incidents of courier scams in Bengaluru.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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