Udupi: In a shocking incident, Dr. Arun Kumar, a 53-year-old World Health Organization (WHO) consultant, was cheated of ₹1.33 crore in a highly sophisticated digital house arrest scam in Atradi, Udupi. Dr. Kumar, a resident of Kathmandu, Nepal, had arrived at his house in Atradi on July 29, unaware of the impending danger.
The scam unfolded when Dr. Kumar received a call from an unknown number, +919232037584, claiming to be from the customs department. The fraudsters informed him that a FedEx courier containing 5 passports, 5 ATM cards, 200 grams of MDMA, and $5,000 USD had been booked using his Aadhaar number and was currently being held by the Mumbai Customs.
Despite Dr. Kumar’s protests that he had not booked any such courier, the scammers convinced him that he was under investigation and would be virtually arrested if he didn’t comply with their demands. They instructed him to stay in one of the rooms of his house, restricting his movement and contact with the outside world.
The scammers, posing as high-ranking officials, used a hotline to convince Dr. Kumar that his Aadhaar number had been misused and linked to various bank accounts and that terrorists had used it to purchase SIM cards. They threatened to put him under video surveillance through the Skype app and warned him not to turn off his mobile phone or contact anyone else.
Dr. Kumar, believing the scammers to be genuine officials, followed their instructions, transferring ₹1.33 crore to various bank accounts over the course of 11 days. His family, unaware of the scam, provided him with food and necessities in his room, thinking he was busy with work.
It wasn’t until Dr. Kumar realised the fraud and contacted the police that the scam was exposed. He lodged a complaint and left for Nepal, leaving the police to investigate the case further. The incident highlights the growing concern of digital house arrest scams, which prey on victims’ trust and fear of authority.