Hyderabad’s Cyber Crime Police have made a significant breakthrough, apprehending two individuals from Maharashtra implicated in a “digital arrest” cyber fraud case. This particular scam tragically resulted in the death of a retired doctor, who succumbed to a cardiac arrest after being defrauded of ₹6.6 lakh.
The arrested suspects were identified as Shankar Supur, 38, a water purifier technician from Kolhapur district, and Vishwas Dattatraya Miraje, 35, a businessman hailing from Sangli district. According to cybercrime officials, Supur’s role involved managing the fraudulent bank account, while Miraje was responsible for supplying such accounts for the operation.
The investigation began after a complaint detailed how the victim, a retired CSRMO from Malakpet’s MN Area Hospital, suffered a fatal cardiac arrest on September 8. Her passing was directly linked to the relentless harassment she endured at the hands of these cyber fraudsters.
Between September 5 and 8, the victim received an onslaught of WhatsApp calls from the culprits, who cunningly impersonated Bangalore police and other official agencies. They went as far as forging official-looking documents from institutions like the Supreme Court, Enforcement Directorate, and Reserve Bank of India, falsely accusing her of involvement in a human trafficking case. Under severe and continuous threats of arrest, she was manipulated into transferring a substantial sum of ₹6,60,543 from her Union Bank pension account to an ICICI Bank account controlled by the fraudsters.
Even after the illicit transfer of funds, the psychological torment did not cease. The immense stress and persistent harassment ultimately led the distraught woman to suffer a fatal cardiac arrest.
Authorities clarified that the criminals employed sophisticated tactics, including caller ID spoofing, deceptive WhatsApp video calls, and elaborate forged documents such as fake arrest warrants and RBI letters, all designed to instill fear in their targets. They would then coerce victims into transferring money, masquerading the act as a “verification” process or a fee to obtain a fictitious “No Involvement Certificate.” Police strongly reiterated that “digital arrest” is not a legitimate concept and no law enforcement agency would ever demand money to clear a person’s name or issue any such certificate.