Top UP doctor kept under ‘digital house arrest', duped of Rs 2.8 crore

Lucknow, August 14

A neurologist at the SGPGI here has fallen victim to an elaborate cyber fraud, losing Rs 2.8 crore to scammers, who kept her under "digital house arrest" for six days posing as officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

An FIR has been lodged and the police have launched an investigation into the fraud done with the senior doctor of the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute (SGPGI) of Medical Sciences, officials on Wednesday said.

Digital house arrest is a tactic where the cyber criminals confine the victims to their homes in order to scam them. The offenders generate fear by making audio or video calls, frequently posing as the law enforcement officers using AI-generated voices or video technology.

The scammers manipulated Dr Ruchika Tandon by claiming that her name had surfaced in a money laundering case involving the owner of Jet Airways.

They coerced her into transferring money to multiple accounts, threatening legal action if she did not comply.

The incident began on August 1, when Dr Tandon received a call from an individual claiming to be an employee of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The caller informed her that 22 complaints had been filed against her, leading to the potential suspension of her mobile numbers. She was instructed to download the Skype app, through which she was connected to someone who introduced himself as CBI officer Rahul.

During the video call, Rahul told Dr Tandon that her bank account had been linked to money laundering activities and funds used in human trafficking.

He claimed that the court had evidence against her, including audio recordings, and that an arrest warrant had been issued.

However, he suggested that she could be placed under "digital arrest" instead on the condition that she did not inform her family.

Under the guise of helping her avoid a physical arrest, the fraudsters convinced the doctor to transfer large sums of money to several accounts they controlled. The transfers included Rs 1 crore from her State Bank of India (SBI) account to a Yes Bank account on August 3, followed by additional transfers totalling Rs 1.8 crore to accounts in various banks over the next few days.

As the demands for money continued to escalate, the doctor began to suspect that she was being deceived. Despite her fears, she eventually confided in her family and reported the matter to the cybercrime police station on August 10.

DCP (Central Lucknow) Raveena Tyagi said the doctor was kept under 'digital arrest' by the fraudsters and was coerced into not sharing the incident with anyone.

"A case has been registered and efforts are under way to trace and apprehend the culprits," Tyagi said.

Cyber Police Station investigator Ghulam said such cases have become increasingly common, with the fraudsters often impersonating officials from reputable investigation agencies, including the CBI and the Mumbai Police.

The police have urged the public to immediately contact the nearest police station if they receive similar calls.

Last month, Noida-based Dr Pooja Goel also fell victim to an elaborate cyber fraud, losing Rs 59.54 lakh over two days during which she was held under "digital house arrest" by the thugs.