Cyber criminals drive elderly couple in Karnataka to suicide
The couple, before ending their lives, transferred Rs 50 lakh, including all their pension savings and Rs 7 lakh raised by pledging their gold, to the criminals
An 83-year-old retired government employee and his wife reportedly died by suicide in a Karnataka village after being relentlessly harassed by cyber criminals who had an eye on their hard-earned money.
Django Nazareth and his wife Phleviana Nazareth (79) led a peaceful life in Nandgad village in Belagavi district, caring for one another and owning two acres of land and a house.
As the man, who retired from the Maharashtra Secretariat, also received a pension, theirs was a comfortable life. The couple had no children and no known relatives.
Also read: Maharashtra: Elderly woman loses Rs 20 crore to 'digital arrest' fraud; 3 arrested
Double suicide
On the evening of Thursday (March 27), Django died by slitting his throat at home. Horrified, his wife consumed a large amount of diabetes pills and ended her life too. Police were stunned after recovering a two-page suicide note found at the house, apparently written by the man.
The scam
A few days ago, Django received a video call from an unknown number. The callers allegedly claimed that his nude photos had been misused and he was implicated in a scam.
Pretending to be government officials, the miscreant transferred the call to another person who demanded money to settle the matter. Initially, the fraudsters sought Rs 5 lakh, claiming it would "save" him. Gradually, they kept increasing the demand with new lies and threats.
Also read: Digital arrest scam: 2 held for extorting Rs 1.16 lakh from Chennai resident
Couple looted
The frightened couple ended up transferring a whopping Rs 50 lakh to them. This included their entire pension savings and Rs 7 lakh raised by pledging their gold. Eventually, Django called back the number that had originally contacted him. When they didn’t respond, he sent a message stating that he would end his life.
Police shocked
With no reply or help, the couple lost all hope – and went on to take their lives.
Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guled ordered a special investigation team and transferred the case to the Cyber Economic and Narcotics police.
Police officials lamented that despite efforts by the government to raise awareness about cybercrimes, people continue to fall victim to such frauds.
Also read: RBI launches new domain names - bank.in and fin.in - to curb digital frauds
‘Beware of cyber criminals’
One officer said it was a tragedy that a highly-placed retired government officer was duped of money and driven to suicide.
“This tragic incident serves as a wake-up call,” the officer said. “Everyone must stay alert and take steps to avoid falling prey to cyber fraud.”
(This article was first published in The Federal Karnataka)
(Suicides can be prevented. For help please call Suicide Prevention Helplines: Neha Suicide Prevention Centre – 044-24640050; Aasara helpline for suicide prevention, emotional support & trauma help — +91-9820466726; Kiran, Mental health rehabilitation — 1800-599-0019, Disha 0471- 2552056, Maithri 0484 2540530, and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)