Uttar Pradesh: A 30-year-old woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district died by suicide last week, with her family alleging that she may have been targeted in a “digital arrest” fraud. The matter came to light after her phone received repeated WhatsApp calls during funeral preparations, prompting relatives to check her chats and contact unknown numbers found on the device.
FCRF Academy Launches Premier Anti-Money Laundering Certification Program
Family Finds WhatsApp Calls and Unknown Numbers
According to the family, the woman’s nine-year-old daughter found her dead on Tuesday morning, after which the last rites were conducted without initially informing the police. The family later approached police when the woman’s phone continued receiving WhatsApp calls and several chats with unknown numbers were found.
Her husband’s nephew told ThePrint that one of the numbers had a +92 extension. When the family tried contacting one of the numbers, they allegedly received a video call from a man in police uniform who claimed to be from the Mumbai Police crime branch. The family said the man claimed he had arrested the woman’s younger brother in a smuggling case, but relatives realised the claim was false because the brother was present with them.
Police Say Digital Arrest Angle Under Investigation
Digital arrest is a form of cybercrime in which fraudsters pose as law enforcement officers or government agency personnel and intimidate victims through audio or video calls. Victims are pressured into staying online and paying money to avoid fake legal action.
Bijnor SP Abhishek Jha told that the digital arrest angle was an assumption made by the family. He said there had been a man troubling the woman and that police were investigating the matter. He added that details could be shared only after the probe was completed.
The family also said a suicide note was found in a diary, in which the woman wrote that she was being blackmailed for days and repeatedly apologised to her husband and other family members. The note was addressed to her family, including her younger daughter. The woman also had an 11-year-old daughter.
Family Alleges Blackmail and Threatening Calls
The family claimed they later received a voice call from another person who demanded money and threatened to leak what they described as obscene videos. Her husband said the caller had the phone numbers of around 20 family members and was threatening them all.
