HYDERABAD: A 44-year-old technician from Hyderabad narrowly escaped its clutches cyber criminals Sunday, although after 30 hours digital arrest. The ordeal that began on Friday evening saw the victim travel 15 km from his home in Miyapur to Ameerpet at an ungodly hour and check into a lodge — all the while on a video call with the assailants. It ended on Sunday morning when the victim’s call suddenly stopped and he was able to call cyber crime cops for help.
Initially, IT received a number of suspicious text messages, which it dismissed as spam. The ordeal began around 3am on Saturday when the victim received a call from scammers – first posing as FedEx couriers and then as Mumbai police officials – who claimed Aadhar number was linked to a money laundering case.
This time, the victim thought it was genuine. Once trapped, the scammers forced him to participate in a WhatsApp video call and stay on it until his account was verified. They also instructed him to isolate himself from his family until then, so that information would not be leaked and his family would not be dragged into it.
“Worried, he left home around 4am. He told his wife and minor son that they were attending an emergency meeting with his boss at a hotel and that he would be busy for the next few hours. He also asked them not to disturb. him till he returned home,” said a police officer from the cyber crime department. According to the police, the victim was on the video call even while going to his lodge in Ameerpet as the crooks threatened him with arrest and legal trouble for his family members if he did not comply.
“They told him that the procedure will continue till Monday morning, when the banks open for operations. Then, he could make an RTGS payment from his account for verification and be released,” the police officer added. They did not quote any specific amount. This continued until around 4am on Sunday. When the victim’s call suddenly dropped at this time, he managed to call the cyber crime helpline in Hyderabad, where officials realized that he had been duped.