Daijiworld Media Network- Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Jul 17: In a tragic case highlighting the dark side of cyber fraud, a 40-year-old BESCOM contract employee allegedly died by suicide after being extorted by a fraudster posing as a CBI officer. The incident occurred in Kelagere village, Channapatna taluk, sending shockwaves across the community.
The deceased, identified as Kumar, was employed on contract at Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) in HSR Layout. According to police sources, Kumar ended his life by hanging from a tree near his village, leaving behind a chilling handwritten suicide note that shed light on the mental trauma he endured.
In his note, Kumar revealed that he had received threatening calls from a man identifying himself as Vikram Goswami—a purported officer from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)—who claimed that an arrest warrant had been issued against him. Terrified by the threats, Kumar initially transferred Rs 1.95 lac to the fraudster’s account.
However, the intimidation did not stop there. The caller continued to harass Kumar over the next few days, forcing him to transfer a total of Rs 11 lac across multiple bank accounts. The suicide note reportedly contains mobile numbers linked to the fraudsters.
“I am ending my life due to harassment and ill health,” Kumar wrote, requesting authorities not to ignore his letter. He warned that others too could fall prey to similar scams if the perpetrators are not caught.
The MK Doddi Police have registered a case and launched an investigation based on the suicide note. Police officials are currently attempting to unlock Kumar's mobile phone to gather further evidence and verify the transaction details.
Police sources confirmed that the mobile numbers and bank accounts mentioned in the note are being tracked. Meanwhile, Kumar’s family members and locals have demanded strict action against the cybercriminals and raised concerns about the rising trend of digital extortion.
This shocking incident underscores the urgent need for awareness about online scams and the psychological toll such harassment can take on unsuspecting individuals.