Scientist and former Secretary to the Union Ministry of Science and Technology, T Ramasami, was scammed of Rs 57 lakhs by cyber fraudsters who held him hostage in a digital arrest. The incident has raised concerns as it has proven that even eminent bureaucrats are not immune to the trick. Ramasami, a scientist-turned-civil servant, was one of the longest serving secretaries in the Government of India and had served as the director of CLRI (Central Leather Research Institute) in Chennai and as director general of CSIR (Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research). He is also the recipient of honours like Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, some of the highest honours bestowed to civilians.
Ramasami was made to believe that cases have been filed against him over illegal activities and multiple SIM cards taken on his Aadhar number. The fraudsters, pretending to be TRAI officials, revealed they have details of his Aadhaar card and bank debit card, convincing the victim that his financial and personal details have been compromised.
Ramasami isolated himself from any other communication and transferred his financial savings to a fake RBI account that fraudsters gave him details of. Investigations revealed that during this period of isolation and digital arrest, Ramasami had to seek the permission of his digital captors to travel to Tiruchy to receive a ‘lifetime award’ accorded to him.
According to the latest reports and official statements, the money was withdrawn and turned into cryptocurrency and transferred overseas to destroy any trail. A case has been registered with the Crime Branch.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
