A 74-year-old retired employee of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) from Kolkata has been allegedly defrauded of his entire life savings, amounting to a staggering Rs 99 lakh, in a sophisticated cybercrime operation. The fraudsters, posing as officers from the Mumbai Police, subjected the victim to a terrifying four-day "digital arrest", coercing him into transferring the funds.
The Anatomy of a Sophisticated Cyber Fraud
The ordeal for Gautam Kumar Ray, a resident of Ashwininagar in Baguiati, began on November 29. He received calls and WhatsApp messages from individuals claiming to be from the Mumbai Police headquarters. They informed him that a mobile SIM card registered in his name was being used to make ransom calls and issue death threats to wealthy businessmen in Mumbai.
The impostors escalated the fear by falsely linking the alleged SIM card usage to an operative of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI). They told Ray that a criminal case had been registered against him. For the first two days, the gang issued severe warnings, threatening that if he discussed the calls with family or left his home, police teams would arrest him and his family, taking them to Mumbai for a "life imprisonment".
Relentless Psychological Pressure and Video Surveillance
The cybercriminals employed intense psychological tactics to break the victim's resolve. They kept Gautam Kumar Ray under continuous video surveillance for hours on end, sometimes forcing him to remain on a video call for nearly seven hours at a stretch. This created a state of extreme isolation and fear, making him compliant with their demands.
On December 1, the narrative shifted. The callers now claimed that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was verifying his bank accounts. They assured him that his money would remain "protected" only if he disclosed all his savings, and that any concealment would lead to the seizure of all his funds. Under immense mental stress, Ray revealed details of his two fixed deposits and a savings account with a nationalised bank, totalling over Rs 1 crore.
The Final Act: Transfer of Life Savings
The next day, December 2, following instructions received during a video call, Ray went to his bank. He collected RTGS forms, prematurely closed his two fixed deposits, and transferred the entire sum of Rs 99 lakh to a current account specified by the fraudsters. He was made to believe the amount would be credited back to his account within three days.
When the money failed to return and repeated calls to the fraudsters went unanswered, Ray realised he had been cheated. He subsequently lodged a formal complaint with the cyber-crime police station of the Bidhannagar commissionerate.
The police have registered a case under sections for cheating, impersonation, criminal intimidation, and misappropriation of funds. An officer stated, "We are trying to trace the money trail, identify the account holders and operators, and examine digital evidence including call records, WhatsApp communications, and forged documents." Requests to freeze the recipient account and obtain transaction details have been initiated.
This case highlights the alarming rise of cyber fraud schemes targeting senior citizens in India, using fear and sophisticated impersonation to execute devastating financial crimes.
