Doctor Loses 59 Lakhs In 'Digital Arrest' Scam, Was Told She Circulated Porn

A Noida-based woman doctor has lost Rs 59 lakh after scamsters tricked her into 'digital arrest' for 48 hours - a modus operandi that is being increasingly used in Delhi NCR to dupe people.

Dr Puja Goyal, a resident of Noida Sector 77, received a call on July 13. The caller introduced himself as an official of Telephone Regulatory Authority of India and told Ms Goyal that her phone was being used to circulate porn videos.

The doctor denied this, but the caller convinced her into joining a video call. The woman was threatened with serious consequences and told that she is under digital arrest. After 48 hours of being grilled, Ms Goyal transferred 59 lakh 54 thousand rupees into a specified account. On realising that she had been scammed, she registered a police complaint on Monday -- July 22 -- at the cyber crime cell in Noida Sector 36.

Vivek Ranjan Rai, Assistant Commissioner of Police (cyber crime), has said they have the details of the account into which Ms Goyal transferred money. "They are being verified and action will be taken."

Digital arrest is fast emerging as a preferred tactic among scamsters to scare people and then dupe them. In such cases, scamsters confine the target to a house, sometimes a room, and pose as law enforcement authorities. Fake IDs are shared to convince the targets that they are actual officers. Earlier, a 72-year-old woman from Delhi's posh Chittaranjan Park area was duped into transferring Rs 83 lakh. Like Dr Puja Goyal, Krishna Dasgupta was told that her phone had been used for criminal activities and grilled for over 12 hours.

Noida police recently issued an advisory to warn people about such scams. "In recent months, around ten such incidents have been reported, leading to registered FIRs and ongoing investigations," the advisory said.

The police emphasised the importance of verifying suspicious calls, especially those via WhatsApp or video calls and recommended checking the caller's credentials through official channels.

"If a suspicious call claims that legal action is being taken or asks for personal or financial information, citizens should immediately report it to the nearest police station or cyber cell," the advisory stated.