Kasaragod: In one of the district’s biggest reported digital fraud cases, a 72-year-old retired government doctor and her 69-year-old husband, a former school headmaster, lost their life savings of ₹2.4 crore after being trapped in an elaborate cyber scam.
Over 11 days, the couple was psychologically manipulated, kept under constant video surveillance, and threatened with arrest by fraudsters posing as officials from TRAI and the CBI.
Constant Surveillance and Fear
The scammers forced the couple to remain on video calls round-the-clock, even at night, forbidding them from leaving home without permission. “We lost the money. But we can breathe now,” said Dr. S. Lathika (name changed), recalling the ordeal.
Her husband added, “We had to seek permission even to buy milk. If we returned late, they interrogated and threatened us with arrest.”
The doctor, undergoing treatment for breast cancer, said she was allowed to visit Mangalore Institute of Oncology only after repeated pleas — and even then, rushed back in time for the scammers’ “4 p.m. check-in.”
The Fraud Setup
The trap began on August 10 with a call from an international number. Claiming to be TRAI, the caller alleged her name appeared in a money-laundering case. Soon after, a video call was arranged with a “CBI officer” and a Malayalam-speaking translator.
They showed the couple fake evidence, including a Canara Bank card allegedly linked to her, and said her account had received ₹20 lakh from Jet Airways’ ex-chairman Naresh Goyal’s home raid.
Believing the story, the couple followed instructions, convinced they had to transfer money for “verification” into a Supreme Court account.
Massive Transfers Under Duress
Between August 13 and 21, the husband visited banks multiple times, transferring sums of ₹50 lakh, ₹70 lakh, ₹50 lakh, ₹20 lakh, and ₹50 lakh. Each transaction was preceded by a staged “hearing” before a fake CBI judge on WhatsApp video.
In total, ₹2.4 crore was moved to accounts in Yes Bank, IndusInd Bank, and ICICI Bank. Some amounts were quickly split into smaller transfers of ₹1–5 lakh to evade detection.
Scam Exposed by Family Intervention
The fraud unravelled when the doctor’s younger brother, a retired banker, visited on August 21. Suspicious of her unusual behaviour, he learned about the so-called investigation and immediately took the couple to their bank and the Cyber Police Station.
Even at the police station, scammers video-called to pressure the couple. But officers intercepted the call and confirmed the fraud.
Police Investigation
Kasaragod Cyber Police said the last ₹50 lakh transfer has been frozen as a lien, but most of the money had already been siphoned off. “We suspect the scammers were operating from Southeast Asia, possibly Cambodia,” said officer Raveendran.
The police praised a Bank of India manager who tried to delay a transaction after sensing something was wrong. However, the husband, still under the scammers’ spell, covered it up by claiming he was buying land.
Final Taunt
A day after the FIR was filed, the couple received one last WhatsApp message from the fraudsters: “Good morning.” They did not respond.
