Karnataka: Elderly couple dies by suicide after being threatened with ‘digital arrest’

An elderly couple from Karnataka’s Belagavi district died by suicide on Thursday evening allegedly after being harassed by online fraudsters who threatened them with ‘digital arrest’, the Deccan Herald reported.

Those who died have been identified as Diego Santan Nazareth (82) and his wife Flaviana (79), residents of Christian Galli in Belagavi’s Khanapur taluk.

Flaviana’s body was found inside their home, while that of Diego was pulled out from an underground tank outside the house, The Times of India reported.

Diego left a note, claiming that the couple had been targeted by some persons posing as telecom officials from New Delhi since January. The fraudsters allegedly threatened him with “digital arrest”, accusing him and his wife of misusing a phone SIM card to carry out criminal acts.

In cases of “digital arrest”, criminals usually orchestrate the fraud by posing as law enforcement officers, often wearing uniforms and making video calls to victims from locations made to resemble government offices or police stations. They demand money for a “compromise” and “closure of a case” against the victims.

In some cases, the victims are “digitally arrested” with the scamsters claiming that the persons are required to be visible until their demands are met.

Diego’s note identified the persons who called the couple as Sumit Birra and Anil Yadav. They allegedly...

Read more