A Noida-based doctor lost Rs. 59 lakh after being tricked into a ‘digital arrest’ for 48 hours, a scam increasingly seen in Delhi NCR.
Dr. Puja Goyal, residing in Noida Sector 77, received a call on July 13 from someone claiming to be an official of the Telephone Regulatory Authority of India. The caller accused her of using her phone to circulate pornographic videos.
Despite her denial, the caller convinced her to join a video call. She was threatened with severe consequences and told she was under digital arrest. After 48 hours of interrogation, Dr. Goyal transferred ₹59.54 lakh into a specified account. Realizing she had been scammed, she filed a police complaint on Monday, July 22, at the cyber crime cell in Noida Sector 36.
Vivek Ranjan Rai, Assistant Commissioner of Police (cyber crime), stated, “They are being verified and action will be taken.”
Digital arrest scams are becoming popular among fraudsters, who scare victims into confinement and pose as law enforcement. Fake IDs are used to convince targets of their authenticity. Previously, a 72-year-old woman from Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park area was duped into transferring ₹83 lakh under similar circumstances.
The Noida police recently issued an advisory warning people about such scams. “In recent months, around ten such incidents have been reported, leading to registered FIRs and ongoing investigations,” the advisory noted.
The police stressed the importance of verifying suspicious calls, especially those via WhatsApp or video calls, and recommended checking the caller’s credentials through official channels.
“If a suspicious call claims that legal action is being taken or asks for personal or financial information, citizens should immediately report it to the nearest police station or cyber cell,” the advisory stated.
