Kerala woman falls for ‘digital arrest' scam, trapped in own room for 36 hours

An elderly woman from Thrissur, Kerala, fell victim to an elaborate cyber fraud after being held captive on a video call by a scammer impersonating a police officer. The victim, identified as Treesa, was duped out of Rs 40,000 in a video arrest that lasted for over a day and a half.Treesa, a resident of Meloor area, was contacted by the fraudster who claimed her mobile number was used to create duplicate SIMs for anti-national activities. The scammer, dressed as a police officer on a video call, said a person named Sandeep Kumar was involved in these activities and that foreign funds were being transferred to an account created using her number.advertisementHe demanded Rs 2,60,000 as part of a police investigation. When Treesa tried to pay by cheque, the transaction failed due to incomplete KYC verification. She then transferred Rs 40,000 in total to various UPI numbers provided by the scammer.
Throughout the ordeal, the scammer ordered Treesa not to leave her room. 'I was fed up after sitting inside the room. After transferring the amount, I said I was mentally and physically tired. Then they told me that I could rest. That's when I started feeling suspicious,' she said.The fraudster had instructed her not to tell anyone, to lock her door, and to alert them if someone knocked. He claimed police were deployed to watch her and threatened she would be killed by 'Sandeep's men' if she informed the police.advertisementWith her children living abroad, only a relative was present at home during the incident.Treesa has filed a complaint with the police.Edited by Rithu Pawar Must Watch

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