Karnataka elderly couple dies by suicide after losing ₹50 lakh to cyber fraud: 'Have no one to support us’
The fraudsters told the man that a SIM card had been purchased in his name and was being used for harassment and illegal advertisements.
An elderly couple in Karnataka's Belagavi district died by suicide after they lost about ₹50 lakh to cyber fraud.
The deceased were both residents of a village in Khanapur and had no children.
In a note, the man, a retired state government employee, said that no one should be blamed for their death as they did not want to live at the mercy of anyone, reported PTI.
The incident came to light on Thursday when neighbours found the bodies of the couple.
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In the note, the man named two individuals – Sumit Birra and Anil Yadav. He alleged that Sumit Birra, who claimed to be a telecom department official from New Delhi, informed him that a SIM card had been fraudulently purchased in his name and was being used for harassment and illegal advertisements.
He later said that the call was transferred to Yadav, who claimed to be from the Crime Branch. Threatening legal consequences, Yadav demanded details of the man's property and finances, reported PTI.
According to the police, the couple fell prey to the scam and transferred over ₹50 lakh. However, the two individuals continued to demand more, the police said, citing digital transaction records.
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The man also mentioned taking a gold loan of ₹7.15 lakh, the interest of which he had to pay by June.
"The amount should be paid, and the gold should be sold. The amount received after adjusting the principal and interest should be paid to the named persons," the note read, according to PTI.
The man further said that he had borrowed money from friends and requested that the loans be repaid by selling his wife's gold bangles and earrings.
“Now I am 82 years old, and my wife is 79. We have no one to support us," the man wrote in the note. "We do not want to live at the mercy of anyone, so we have taken this decision."
He also expressed a wish that their bodies be donated to a medical institution for students to study, according to PTI.
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Belagavi Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guled said that based on the note written by the deceased, a case has been registered.
"Based on the death note and preliminary inquiry, we have registered a case of abetment to suicide and cyber fraud against the two accused named in the note. Further investigation is underway," Guled said, according to PTI.
Lately, fraudsters have been posing as law enforcement officials or personnel of government agencies to intimidate victims through audio/video calls. They hold the victims hostage and put pressure on the victims to make payments.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).
