Agra: Call from Pakistan falsely tells daughter is involved in s*x racket, mother dies of heart attack | WATCH

Agra extortion scam: In a heart-wrenching incident, a woman in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, succumbed to a heart attack after receiving a terrifying extortion call. The victim, Malti Verma, was targeted by a scammer posing as a police officer, who falsely accused her daughter of being involved in a sex trafficking ring.

Threatening call triggers panic, video surfaces

The tragic incident unfolded on September 30, when Malti received a WhatsApp call from a man pretending to be a police officer. The caller claimed that her daughter had been arrested in connection with a sex racket and threatened to leak an obscene video of the girl unless Rs. 1 lakh was transferred immediately to their account.

Panicked and desperate, Malti reached out to her son, Divyanshu, urging him to send the money in an attempt to protect her daughter from being implicated in the fabricated case.

A female teacher in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, died after cyber criminals made a threatening call, claiming her daughter was involved in a $ex racket. Malti Verma suffered a heart attack due to the stress of the false information
Don’t take calls from unknown numbers, block and report pic.twitter.com/uZNSSC8SE2

— Dee (@DeeEternalOpt) October 4, 2024

Son discovers the scam

Divyanshu, however, grew suspicious after hearing his mother’s account. Upon investigating the phone number used to make the call, he realized that it had a +92 prefix, indicating it originated from Pakistan. He quickly deduced that the call was a scam designed to extort money from their family.

"After my mother called me in distress, I checked the number and saw it had a +92 prefix. I immediately told her it was a scam, but she was already extremely anxious," Divyanshu explained. He reassured his mother, even confirming that his sister was safe and attending college as usual. Despite his efforts to calm her down, the emotional toll had already begun to affect her health.

Health deteriorates, leads to fatal outcome

Malti returned home from school around 4:00 pm, but her condition worsened due to the stress caused by the call. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival. A video circulating online shows neighbors rushing to her aid, carrying her to a vehicle in a desperate attempt to save her life.

The victim’s daughter recounted the sequence of events, stating, "I got a call from my brother, who was concerned about my whereabouts. I told him I was in college, and he reassured my mother, but the damage was already done."

Police investigation underway

Authorities are investigating the source of the extortion call. A senior police official confirmed the case, stating, "The woman received a call about her daughter being caught in a sex racket, which caused her great distress. We are looking into the origin of the call and will take appropriate action."

Growing concern over 'Digital Arrest' scams

The incident has sparked widespread concern over the rise of similar extortion scams across India, commonly referred to as ‘digital arrests’. Congress, in a statement, highlighted that such incidents have become alarmingly frequent, urging the government to take stronger measures against cybercrime.

“This is not an isolated case of ‘digital arrest’—it’s a recurring problem that cybercriminals are exploiting to harm innocent people. Urgent action is needed to prevent such scams from claiming more lives,” Congress said in its statement.