Madhya Pradesh: Doctor's Number On Google Takes Patient Party To Fraudsters, Rs 1.5L Stolen

Shahdol: A new case of cyber fraud has surfaced in Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh. Just after a woman searched for a doctor's number on Google, she claims over Rs 1.5 lakh disappeared from her account.

The victim's family has reached out to the Shahdol District Police Headquarters to complain about the matter, and is demanding their money back.

The incident occurred in the Byawari police station area of ​​Shahdol district. When the younger son of Byawari school teacher Shivesh Kumar Singh fell ill, he took him to Nagpur for treatment. Meanwhile, Singh's wife, Aarti, searched for the number of a doctor on Google to fix an appointment.

Upon locating the number, she placed a call. Unbeknownst to her, it went to cyber fraudsters instead of the real doctor. Posing as the doctor's staff, the ​​fraudsters gained her trust and asked her to download a mobile app on her phone. As soon as she complied, they began withdrawing money from her account, in installments. First, they transferred Rs 50,000 twice, and then followed up with a third transfer of Rs 59,000, taking the total amount stolen from the woman's account to Rs 1,59,000.

Claiming that she had fallen victim of a major online fraud due to a minor negligence on her part, the victimised couple has now approached the SP's office in Shahdol. They are also making rounds of police officers, pleading for the return of their money.

Reacting to the incident, Additional Superintendent of Police Abhishek Dewan said that a complainant had filed an application, stating that his son was undergoing treatment for a bone disease. After obtaining information about the matter from a hospital in Nagpur, he had instructed his wife to search for the number of a doctor to contact for treatment. But as soon as the number was contacted, more than Rs 1.5 lakh were deducted from their account.

He also said that the Cyber ​​Cell is now taking appropriate legal action.