Cybercriminals are evolving their tactics, moving beyond traditional financial fraud to psychological manipulation. In a disturbing case from Ghaziabad, India, a 55-year-old retired teacher, Archana Khare, was kept under digital arrest for 28 days, losing ₹56 lakh in the process.
It all started on April 1, when Khare received a call from someone claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority, warning that her phone number was being misused and would be disconnected. The call was escalated through multiple fraudsters posing as officials from law enforcement agencies, including the CBI. They falsely alleged that her Aadhaar number had been used to open fraudulent bank accounts receiving hawala money.
What followed was a systematic psychological coercion—the victim was kept under digital surveillance via WhatsApp video calls from 9:30 AM to 6 PM daily, ensuring she complied with the fraudsters' instructions without reaching out for help. Under immense pressure, she was forced to transfer ₹56 lakh across five identified bank accounts, now under investigation.
Ghaziabad Police have registered an FIR under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and IT Act, including:
Cheating & Extortion
Impersonation of Public Officials
Forgery of Electronic Documents. Authorities are now working on freezing the fraudulent accounts and tracing the perpetrators.
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