Cyber bullies, posing as TRAI officials, keep woman in digital arrest in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: A woman in Bengaluru was allegedly bullied, held under digital duress for over a day, and forced to reveal her body tattoos during an "online interrogation" by cybercriminals posing as Mumbai police officers.

The 27-year-old resident of TC Palya in eastern Bengaluru told the police she received a phone call on October 27 from individuals claiming to be with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The impersonators informed her that two SIM cards had been illegally obtained in her name.

"They said the phone call would be transferred to the Mumbai police for further inquiry,” she told the police.

Before the transfer, the TRAI officials claimed a case regarding the illegal SIM cards had been registered in Mumbai. She later received a video call on WhatsApp to record her statement.

"They told me there was an arrest warrant in my name for a money laundering case," she recalled.

During the so-called interrogation, the impersonators asked for her personal details and, at one point, demanded that she show them her tattoos.

"They threatened me with legal action," she said. "Feeling trapped, I showed them the tattoos on my body."

Over the next two days, she endured persistent cyberbullying.

On October 28, she received a WhatsApp message threatening to leak her personal photographs. The same day, she received multiple threatening calls from 12 different phone numbers.

Her ordeal worsened when, on October 29, she received an alert that someone was trying to access her mobile phone without authorisation. This prompted her to approach the cybercrime police.

“They threatened me with the sole intent of extorting money,” she told the police.

On October 31, the East Cyber, Economic and Narcotics (CEN) Crime police registered a case, invoking relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Investigations are ongoing.