Duped of lakhs by cyber fraud gang, Rajasthan woman dies by suicide

Police have arrested six persons, including the alleged mastermind, from Bihar and detained three juveniles in connection with the case. (File Photo)

A 56-year-old woman in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar died by suicide after allegedly being duped of lakhs of rupees by an interstate cyber fraud gang that blackmailed her using AI-generated photographs and videos, and threatened to implicate her son in a criminal case.

Police have arrested six persons, including the alleged mastermind, from Bihar and detained three juveniles in connection with the case.

The deceased — Madhubala Thakur, a resident of Subhash Colony in Jhalawar — had allegedly consumed poison after being subjected to repeated financial extortion and mental harassment. Based on a complaint filed by her daughter, Kalpana Thakur, on November 1, the Kotwali Police had registered a case of abetment to suicide.

Following a technical investigation of her cellphone and financial transactions, police found links to Bihar, and added charges of fraud, extortion and relevant provisions of the IT Act.

According to Jhalawar Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar Budaniya, “The accused initially contacted the woman using the name ‘RJGYANI OLD COIN COMPANY’ after circulating advertisements on social media platforms claiming to purchase old and rare coins and currency notes for lakhs of rupees. They initially sought small payments but subsequently demanded money on various pretexts. Later on they manipulated the women to keep on transferring more money to them. When the woman asked for her money back and expressed her inability to pay further, the accused allegedly resorted to blackmail.”

“They sent her AI-generated photographs and videos depicting police brutality, a road accident and hospital treatment, demanding additional money in the name of medical expenses. The accused also threatened to implicate her son in a serious criminal case, intensifying the psychological pressure on her,” Budaniya added.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed under Additional Superintendent of Police Bhagchandra Meena, traced the accused through bank accounts, UPI transactions and call detail records. Police said the bank accounts had previously been linked to multiple cyber fraud complaints. The account of an accused had 13 complaints registered against it, another had nine, while two complaints were registered against a third account.

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Budaniya, meanwhile, said that three teams — led by station house officers from Bakani, Raipur and Mandawar — travelled to Bihar and with assistance from the police of Saharsa, Madhepura and Khagaria district conducted search operations on November 6.

Those arrested include Aarti Kumari (26), Manju Devi (35), Ajit Kumar (19), Satish Kumar (19), Ranju Devi (45) and Khushboo (19). Three juveniles were also detained and sent to the Child Care Institution in Jhalawar. The six arrested have been remanded to three days of police custody for further investigation.

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Parul Kulshrestha is a Principal Correspondent for The Indian Express, based in Rajasthan. A lawyer ... Read More