Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A LIC agent narrowly escaped falling prey to digital arrest on Friday with the help of his wife and cyber expert. Dhanraj Patidar received a phone call that he is in violation of TRAI's (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) regulations, and as a result, his phone lines will be shut down.
Shortly afterwards he received another call, this time ostensibly from Mumbai Crime Branch. The caller said that a report has been filed against him as his SIM card was used in terrorist activities and he would be arrested. All this while, the victim was being monitored through a video call. In addition, the accused also sent him notices from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Income Tax Department, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on WhatsApp.
The accused told him that his digital arrest has been executed, and since the case involves national security, he should stay isolated in a hotel room for the next 5-6 hours. Thereafter, he was instructed to transfer Rs 15 lakh to specific bank accounts, with the promise that this money will be refunded after he is cleared of the charges.
Additionally, they warned him not to contact any lawyer, family members, or friends, including his spouse, as doing so could lead to them also being implicated in the case as well. When Dhanraj left his house to go to the hotel for executing his digital arrest, he turned off his video call camera and sent a text message to his wife asking for help from cyber expert Gaurav Rawal.
After receiving the message, she called Rawal and explained the entire situation to him. Gaurav then informed her that Dhanraj had fallen victim to a cyber scam and assured her that neither Dhanraj nor their family members needed to panic, as this was a cyber fraud happening across the country.
