Lucknow-Based Poet Held Under 'Digital Arrest' By Fraudsters Posing As CBI Officers, Made To Recite Poetry For Hours

Renowned progressive writer and poet Naresh Saxena was held under ‘digital arrest’ for six hours by cybercriminals posing as CBI officers at his home in Lucknow. The incident unfolded when scammers, aiming to extort the elderly poet with threats of arrest in a money-laundering case, subjected him to an extended video call as they continued to listen to Saxena's poetry and couplets of other famous Urdu poets.

The incident began at 3 pm on Sunday when Saxena received a video call from a man claiming to be CBI Inspector Rohan Sharma. The caller informed Saxena about an Aadhar card misuse allegedly resulting in a money laundering case in Mumbai. Posing as an officer with an arrest warrant, the scammer threatened Saxena with jail time unless he cooperated in their so-called investigation. 

To gain Saxena’s trust, the caller verified his Aadhar card details and probed his financial information, including bank accounts, transactions and income tax returns. Convinced by the uniform and cap of the supposed CBI officer, Saxena complied. 

ALSO READ: Unnao Accident: 18 Dead, 19 Injured In Bus-Tanker Collision On Lucknow-Agra Expressway

The scammers, having noticed Saxena's extensive collection of books, requested him to prove his identity by reciting poetry. Over the next six hours, Saxena recited couplets by Mirza Ghalib and Faiz Ahmed Faiz, as well as his own poems, which the caller praised effusively.

"As soon as he saw my room full of books, to ensure that I was the right person and the same poet he had called, he asked me to prove myself by reciting poetry. He asked me to recite the couplets of Mirza Ghalib and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. He even asked me to recite my own poems, which I did. He listened to my poems for a long time and even praised me a lot," the writer said as quoted by news agency IANS.

The video call session stretched into the evening, with the scammers instructing Saxena to remain in his room and not alert his family. The ordeal continued until 8 pm, at which point the supposed CBI chief, likely another accomplice, joined the call. He reassured Saxena that his cooperation would result in his release within 24 hours but declared him under house arrest in the meantime.

ALSO READ: Manipur Violence: Kuki Body Calls 12-Hour 'Total Shutdown' Today To Protest Against Arrest Of Five Village Volunteers

The scam unravelled when Saxena’s prolonged isolation raised concerns among his family members. Alarmed by his uncharacteristic seclusion, Saxena’s daughter-in-law intervened by snatching the phone and disconnecting the call, realising the ongoing cyber fraud.

Following the incident, Naresh Saxena filed a complaint at the Gomti Nagar police station. Authorities have launched an investigation into the matter, aiming to apprehend the fraudsters behind the cyberheist. 

(With IANS Inputs)