A very shocking incident has come to light from Karnataka’s Belagavi district. An older couple from Beedi village died by suicide after being defrauded of over ₹50 lakh. The cybercriminals posed as officials from the Delhi Crime Branch and the telecom department. The couple, identified as DS Nazareth (82) and his wife Flaviana (79), reportedly fell victim to these fraudsters.
What happened?
The couple left behind a suicide note. Nazareth, in the note said the scam began when he received a call from a man named Sumit Birra. The man on the call claimed to be a telecom department official. Nazareth further wrote, Birra falsely informed that a SIM card in his name was being misused for illegal activities.
What followed was even worse, soon the call was transferred to Anil Yadav. He introduced himself as a Delhi Crime Branch officer. Yadav allegedly pressured Nazareth into disclosing his financial details compelling him and warned of legal action if he failed to meet his demands.
Forced to transfer ₹50 lakh
The couple, being scared of the repercussions, initially transferred ₹5 lakh. However, the fraudsters continued their extortion, demanding more money. The couple was then forced to transfer over ₹50 lakh. However, despite the payments, the threats did not stop, pushing the couple into despair and leading to suicide.
Discovery of the bodies
The neighbours found Flaviana lying lifeless on the bed when the incident came to light on Thursday. Later, Nazareth’s body was discovered in the underground water tank of their home. According to Police reports, Nazareth died by slitting his throat. Injuries were also found on Nazareth’s wrist. Meanwhile, Flaviana is suspected to have consumed poison.
Suicide Note and Investigation
The two-page handwritten suicide note stated that no one should be blamed for their decision. However, it named Sumit Birra and Anil Yadav as the individuals behind the cyber fraud. Nazareth also mentioned he had borrowed money from friends and requested that the loans be repaid by selling his wife’s gold bangles and earrings.
In the note he wrote, “Now I am 82 years old, and my wife is 79. We have no one to support us, We do not want to live at the mercy of anyone, so we have taken this decision.”.
Authorities have seized the suicide note, Nazareth’s mobile phone, and the knife used in the act as part of their investigation. A case of cyber fraud and abetment to suicide has been registered under the IT Act, and efforts are underway to trace the accused and track the bank accounts used in the scam.
Police Statement
Belagavi Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guled said, “According to messages accessed from Nazareth’s phone, the cybercriminals asked him to contact the crime branch and he complied. Prima facie, it appears that these ‘crime branch’ people threatened the couple and extorted more money out of them”.
“We have accessed their bank accounts and are still calculating the total amount extorted. This is a serious matter, and a detailed investigation is underway,” said a senior police official from Nandgad.
