Hyderabad: In a shocking case of cybercrime, a 76-year-old retired doctor died of a heart attack after being subjected to a three-day-long “digital arrest” by fraudsters, who extorted ₹6.6 lakh from her pension account. Despite her death, the harassment continued, with scammers still sending her messages.
The victim, a former chief senior resident medical officer at Mamidipudi Nagarjuna Area Hospital in Malakpet, collapsed on September 8 following continuous intimidation and threats from cybercriminals posing as law enforcement officers. She was rushed to hospitals in Yousufguda and Ameerpet but could not be saved.
The ordeal began on September 5 when she received a WhatsApp video call displaying the Bangalore Police logo. The fraudsters accused her of involvement in a fabricated human trafficking case, shared forged documents with her Aadhaar details, and threatened her with arrest under the National Security Act. Fake notices bearing seals of the Supreme Court, Enforcement Directorate, and RBI were shown to her during repeated calls.
Under immense pressure, the doctor transferred ₹6.6 lakh from her Union Bank pension account to an ICICI Bank account linked to a shell entity in Maharashtra. However, the threats continued even after the transfer. Unable to cope with the stress, she suffered a fatal heart attack.
Her son revealed that the family discovered the extent of harassment only after her funeral on September 9, and said the fraudsters even sent a “good morning” message on September 10, two days after her death.
Following his complaint, police registered a case under relevant provisions of the IT Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. An investigation is underway to trace the accused.
