Lucknow-based progressive writer and poet Naresh Saxena was kept under “digital arrest” in his room for six hours on Monday by scammers posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) personnel, the Uttar Pradesh police said.
The gang, who aimed to con the elderly man by frightening him with arrest in a money-laundering case, made him recite his poetry for hours, and even asked him to recite the couplets of famous poets Mirza Ghalib and Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
The ordeal ended when a family member entered the room and switched off the video call.
The police said that at 3pm on Monday the writer was about to leave for a poetry reading session when he received a video call on his mobile phone. The male caller asked him if he had lost his Aadhar card (a 12-digit unique identity number given to all residents of India based on their biometrics and demographic data).
“He then informed me that someone had opened an account in Mumbai using it and a money laundering case of crores had taken place through it and a case had been registered in a Mumbai police station,” said Mr Saxena.
“Then he introduced himself as CBI Inspector Rohan Sharma and said an arrest warrant had been issued against me. But, as I was an elderly person and seemed to be a good man, he would try to get me released if I cooperated. Otherwise, I might face a long jail term.”
The man then checked the writer’s Aadhar card and asked questions related to the number of bank accounts he had, the amount of money in them, the number of transactions, investments, income and income tax returns.
“I was able to see the man’s police uniform and a cap, which convinced me,” Mr Saxena said.
“As soon as he saw my room full of books, to ensure that I was the right person and the same poet he had called, he asked me to prove myself by reciting poetry. He asked me to recite the couplets of Mirza Ghalib and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. He even asked me to recite my own poems, which I did. He listened to my poems for a long time and even praised me a lot,” the writer said.
He added that all this went on for six hours.
The conman then told Mr Saxena that the CBI chief of Mumbai would talk to him.
To convince Mr Saxena further, he told the “chief” (a member of his gang) that Mr Saxena was a good man and should be investigated on priority.
“The ‘chief’ said that since I was cooperating in the investigation, he would get me released within 24 hours and told me that I was currently under house arrest,” said Mr Saxena.
The men then told him to close his room door and not inform his family members of what was happening. But when Mr Saxena did not open his door for a long time, his family members became alarmed.
When his daughter-in-law went into the room, she sensed he was being tricked through a cyber fraud. She snatched the mobile phone and disconnected the call.
The Uttar Pradesh police are currently tracking down the criminals.
The police said “digital house’ arrest” is the latest scam tactic used by criminal gangs in India. It refers to the virtual restraint of individuals, a tactic cybercriminals use to trap victims in their homes and defraud them.
The scammers use AI-generated voice or video calls to impersonate law enforcement officials, creating fear by falsely accusing victims of wrongdoing, generally related to their Aadhaar or phone number.
They demand money in exchange for closing the case, often threatening the victim with arrest if they don’t comply. The victims have to stay on the video call until they fulfill the scammer’s demands.
Indo-Asian News Service
