Amid the growing cases of cybercrimes, a 48-year-old Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) employee died by suicide after allegedly losing ₹11 lakh to a ‘digital arrest’ scam, police said.
The body of Kumar K was found hanging from a tree near his home on Tuesday morning, according to the PTI news agency. He was reportedly a contractual employee with BESCOM and a resident of Kelagere village in Channapatna taluk, Bengaluru South district.
A suicide note recovered at the scene cited ongoing health issues and mental harassment by cybercriminals posing as government officials as reasons behind the extreme step.
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Police said Kumar had been manipulated and extorted through a terrifying new scam tactic known as digital arrest.
What happened to the victim?
As per the police, in the death note, Kumar stated that he received a call from a man named Vikram Goswami, who claimed to be a CBI officer and threatened him with digital arrest.
{{/usCountry}}As per the police, in the death note, Kumar stated that he received a call from a man named Vikram Goswami, who claimed to be a CBI officer and threatened him with digital arrest.
{{/usCountry}}The fraudster claimed he had an arrest warrant against Kumar and demanded money to evade digital arrest.
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Owing to alleged harassment and fear of being arrested, Kumar initially deposited ₹1.95 lakh as per the fraudster's demands. However, a senior police officer said, citing the note, that the fraudster kept demanding more money.
In total, Kumar claimed to have transferred ₹11 lakh into several bank accounts as instructed by the fraudsters, he said.
The officer said M K Doddi police in Channapatna are investigating the matter and are looking into Kumar's allegations.
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"Only after analysing the bank transaction details of Kumar, we will be able to ascertain the exact amount that was transferred," he said.
Kumar is survived by his wife and an eight-year-old son, police added.
How does the digital arrest' scam work
In digital arrest scams, fraudsters impersonate law enforcement or investigative officials, often claiming that the victim is under surveillance or facing imminent legal action
They are often isolated via continuous video or call surveillance by fraudsters posing as officials, and manipulated into following instructions without alerting others, often leading to extortion or fraud.
Victims are then coerced into staying on continuous video or phone calls, isolated from family, and manipulated into following instructions without alerting others, often leading to extortion or fraud.