Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 17: In a spine-chilling cyber heist that has sent shockwaves across Kashmir, ruthless online predators psychologically hijacked an elderly Srinagar couple, held them in a virtual stranglehold for days, and looted a jaw-dropping Rs 48 lakh by staging a fake “digital arrest” drama.
Posing as high-ranking officers of the CBI and TRAI, the cyber sharks trapped the helpless couple through WhatsApp video calls, screaming accusations of involvement in a massive financial crime and threatening instant arrest, seizure of property and freezing of bank accounts.
But the horror did not stop there.
Sources said the fraudsters sent fake government orders, kept the terrified seniors under nonstop video watch, and even forbade them from stepping outside their own home, turning their house into a digital jail. Petrified and broken by days of mental torture, the couple finally surrendered their life savings, transferring Rs 48 lakh straight into the hands of the cyber gang.
Only later did the devastating truth sink in — there was no case, no arrest, no officials — only a cruel and calculated cyber trap.
Alarmed by the rising wave of such scams, the Crime Branch’s Cyber Crime Investigation Centre for Excellence (CCICE) has issued an urgent alert, declaring that “digital arrest” is a complete lie and a favourite weapon of cyber criminals.
Citizens have been told to immediately dial 1930 or report at cybercrime.gov.in if they receive such threatening calls.
Officials warned that elderly people living alone are being hunted by cyber gangs, and appealed to families to stay in constant touch with senior members to protect them from falling into such terrifying psychological ambushes. |
