BHOPAL: A middle-aged woman teacher died by suicide after falling into the trap of cyber fraudsters in the Mauganj district of Madhya Pradesh.
The suicide is suspected to have been triggered by trauma created due to a digital arrest menace. Reportedly, she was lured by online options that promised big money through the auction of old currency notes and coins.
Reshma Pandey (40) belongs to Panni village of Mauganj district. She was an Atithi Shikshak (guest teacher) at a government school.
She was taken to the Sanjay Gandhi Medical College in Rewa district, after allegedly consuming poisonous substance on Sunday. Despite the efforts of doctors, she could not be saved.
Subsequent police investigations have revealed that in December 2024, she was surfing through online platforms and one of the leading social media websites promised big monetary returns on the auction of old currency notes and coins.
Possibly, that brought her on the radar of the cyber fraudsters, currently wreaking havoc on netizens through digital arrest.
She started receiving calls from unknown phone numbers. The callers posed as police personnel claiming to be probing her involvement in a case over the purchase of objects that were sold by thieves.
“The callers posing as cops forced her to pay around Rs 22,000 and demanded Rs 28,000 more stating that she would be arrested if she fails to do so,” DIG-Rewa Range Saket Pandey informed this newspaper.
“Based on the phone calls and related videos, we’ve sent our teams to multiple states and are close to cracking the case,” Pandey added.
Meanwhile, a Border Security Force (BSF) inspector posted at the central paramilitary force’s Tekanpur Training Centre in Gwalior district, lost Rs 71 lakh after falling prey to the digital arrest menace.
Originally hailing from eastern UP’s Mau district and just a few months away from retirement, the 59-year-old inspector identified as A Ahmad was reportedly put into digital arrest for multiple weeks by fraudsters.
They had posed as Mumbai Crime Branch and Enforcement Directorate sleuths officials and accused him of money laundering.
He was allowed by the scamsters to go to his home state’s capital Lucknow and arrange money by borrowing from friends-relatives and selling the land.
The matter came to light on Monday, after Ahmad, who lives alone in Gwalior, informed his son residing in Uttar Pradesh about it.
"His son asked him to report the matter to local police, after which the Gwalior Police Crime Branch registered a case in the matter," Gwalior district police superintendent Dharamveer Singh said.He was allowed by the scamsters to go to his home state’s capital Lucknow and arrange money by borrowing from friends-relatives and selling the land.
The matter came to light on Monday, after Ahmad, who lives alone in Gwalior, informed his son residing in Uttar Pradesh about it.
"His son asked him to report the matter to local police, after which the Gwalior Police Crime Branch registered a case in the matter," Gwalior district police superintendent Dharamveer Singh said.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.