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- By Imran Zafar
- Sun, 01 Dec 2024 11:56 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
A couple in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj lived in constant fear for over two and a half months after falling victim to cybercriminals, who extorted Rs 3.80 lakh from them. The victims, Ratan Kumar Kulshrestha and his wife were so terrified that they confined themselves to their home, trembling whenever the phone rang and avoiding public places, especially the police.
On September 3, Kulshrestha, who lives in Kalindipuram, received a call from an unknown number. The caller, posing as CBI Commissioner Kabir Singh, falsely accused him of using his Aadhaar card for illegal activities. The fraudster threatened that CBI officials were en route to arrest him unless he paid a large sum of money. Succumbing to the pressure, Kulshrestha and his wife transferred Rs 3.80 lakh via RTGS to the account provided by the criminal.
Inspector Amarnath Rai of Dhoomanganj police station confirmed that the couple confined themselves in their home due to fear, which prevented them from reporting the crime sooner. The official stated that if the victims had alerted authorities earlier, the fraud might have been averted. A case has been registered and efforts to trace the cybercriminals are ongoing.
In a related incident, Anuj Yadav, a student in Beli locality of the city, had his WhatsApp account hacked after opening an APK file linked to the PM Kisan Yojana. Hackers attempted to scam Yadav’s contacts by sending the same malicious file. Another victim, Boys High School teacher Joel Jacob Lawrence, had his account hacked similarly, with fraudsters impersonating him to take money from his contacts.
Meanwhile, authorities urge the public to remain vigilant:
- Avoid answering calls from unknown numbers.
- Report any threats to the police immediately.
- Never transfer money to unknown accounts.
- Refrain from downloading suspicious files or clicking on unwanted links.