PALAKKAD: Kongad MLA Adv K Santhakumari revealed that she was targeted in an elaborate 'digital arrest' scam in which fraudsters attempted to intimidate her by falsely claiming that a SIM card issued in her name had been used in a terror attack in Pahalgam.
The scammers reportedly kept the legislator on the phone for several hours on Friday morning, weaving a convincing narrative involving terrorism, bank accounts and alleged criminal activity in an apparent attempt to psychologically pressure her.
According to the MLA, who later elaborated her experience to media persons, the callers introduced themselves as officials and claimed that a bank account had been opened in her name at Canara Bank and that the account had been used to finance a bomb blast. They further alleged that a SIM card registered in her name had been used by terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack.
Santhakumari said the callers spoke in a highly authoritative tone and tried to make the situation appear extremely serious, repeatedly warning her of imminent legal action.
“At first I was deeply worried. I thought such an allegation during an election period could put the party in a major crisis,” she said, recounting the tense hours she spent speaking with the fraudsters.
The callers allegedly attempted to isolate and intimidate her, a common tactic used in similar 'digital arrest' scams, where victims are convinced that they are under investigation and must cooperate immediately to avoid arrest.
The MLA said the experience was mentally exhausting. “Even as a public representative, I went through a very disturbing mental state during those hours. If this is the situation for someone like me, the condition of ordinary people who receive such calls can be even worse,” she told reporters.
However, suspicion eventually crept in, and Santhakumari realised that the entire episode was a carefully scripted fraud attempt. While she was interacting with the fraudsters, her driver reportedly came to the spot and feeling suspicious, he immediately alerted the police.
Kongad Police sources said the incident bears all the hallmarks of a growing cybercrime pattern in which scammers impersonate law-enforcement officials or government agencies to threaten victims with 'digital arrest' and force them into compliance.
Authorities have reiterated that no legal mechanism called 'digital arrest' exists and warned the public not to panic if they receive such calls.
Cybercrime investigators have now launched an inquiry to trace the fraudsters who attempted to trap the MLA, using cyber-forensic tools to track the origin of the calls and identify the network behind the scam.
