HYDERABAD — A 76-year-old retired government doctor died of a heart attack on September 8 after nearly 70 hours of harassment by cyber fraudsters posing as law enforcement officials, who extorted Rs 6.6 lakh from her, police reported on Tuesday, according to details received by The Chenab Times.
The victim, a former chief senior resident medical officer at Mamidipudi Nagarjuna Area Hospital in Malakpet, received WhatsApp video calls on September 5 from a number displaying a Bengaluru police logo, Times of India reported. The callers presented forged documents with seals from the Supreme Court, Enforcement Directorate, and Reserve Bank of India, accusing her of human trafficking and threatening arrest under the National Security Act unless she transferred money.
Frightened, the doctor transferred Rs 6.6 lakh from her Union Bank pension account to an ICICI Bank account linked to a shell entity in Maharashtra on September 6. Harassment persisted with threats from another number saved as “Jaishankar Sir,” including fake court notices and repeated video calls, the report stated.
On September 8, she collapsed at her Madhura Nagar residence in Madhura Nagar with chest pain. She was taken to Raja Nursing Home in Yousufguda and later to Apollo Spectra Clinic in Ameerpet, where she died at 12:30 p.m. Her family learned the full extent of the scam after her funeral on September 9.
Scammers continued sending messages post-death, with the last one on September 10 saying “good morning,” a police official quoted the complainant as saying, per Times of India. Hyderabad cybercrime police registered a case under the IT Act and sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Investigators are tracing phone records and bank accounts.
❤️ Support Independent Journalism
Your contribution keeps our reporting free, fearless, and accessible to everyone.
Or make a one-time donation
Secure via Razorpay • 12 monthly payments • Cancel anytime before next cycle
(We don't allow anyone to copy content. For Copyright or Use of Content related questions, visit here.)
The Chenab Times News Desk
