A shocking case of cybercrime has come to light in Bhopal, where a 65-year-old doctor, Ragini Mishra, and her 67-year-old husband, Mahesh Chandra Mishra, were held digitally hostage by cyber thugs for 48 hours. The couple was rescued by the police on Friday morning after they received a complaint. According to the police, the couple, who are both doctors and reside in Regal Paradise Phase-2, were targeted by cyber thugs, who posed as CBI officials. The thugs told Ragini that her bank account was being used for money laundering and that she had received Rs 427 crore in her account from a Korean airline company. The thugs convinced Ragini that she was in trouble and that she needed to co-operate with them to clear her name.

 

They asked her to stay at home and not to leave the house, and also asked her to keep her phone on video call with them at all times. The thugs also convinced Ragini to transfer Rs 10.50 lakh to their account as a security deposit, promising that the money would be returned to her if she was found innocent. Ragini, who was under immense pressure and fear, transferred the money to the thugs’ account. However, on Friday morning, Ragini became suspicious of the thugs’ intentions and decided to seek help from the police. She managed to send a message to her husband, who was in another room, to call the police.

 

The police were informed, and a team of police officers was sent to the couple’s residence to rescue them. When the police arrived, the thugs were still on the video call with Ragini, and they refused to disconnect the call even after seeing the police. The thugs claimed that they were from a central agency and that the police should not interfere with their work. However, the police were able to rescue the couple and are now investigating the case. The police have registered a case against the cyber thugs and are trying to track them down.

 

The couple’s ordeal has also raised questions about the security of online transactions and the need for banks to have more robust security measures in place to prevent such incidents. The police are urging people to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to them immediately. “A complaint was received by an elderly doctor that his wife is in a state of fear. She was said to be not even coming out of her room. With that input, the police suspected a case of digital arrest. A police team was sent to their home along with the complainant and the victim was rescued. We have launched a search operation for the accused. The accused involved in such a case with an engineer has been arrested. We are gathering more information about the incident and action will be taken accordingly”. Police Commissioner Harinarayanchari Mishra said while talking to press persons.