‘You funded Pahalgam attack terrorists’: Unbelievable ordeal of a 76-year-old Noida woman
According to the woman’s complaint, an ‘officer’ with the Mumbai Police Crime Branch warned her that an arrest warrant had been issued in her name
4 min read
Over the next 24 days, the elderly woman was forced to transfer her life’s savings — over Rs 43 lakh — to “prove her innocence”. (Representative Image)On July 18, Sarla Devi was startled when she got a call on her landline. No one usually called that number; she had a mobile phone after all.
The 76-year-old picked up. The person at the other end was a woman; she said she was from a telecom firm and transferred the call to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch.
A ‘‘police officer’ then picked up. What he said left Devi reeling — he accused her of allegedly funding terrorists involved in the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
Over the next 24 days, the elderly woman was forced to transfer her life’s savings — over Rs 43 lakh — to “prove her innocence”. It was only later that she realised she had been scammed.
According to her complaint filed with the Cyber Crime Police Station in Noida’s Sector 36, Devi stated that the caller initially claimed to be a representative from the head office of a major telecom company.
“The caller told me that a phone number under my name was registered in Mumbai’s Byculla and that it was being used for illegal activities — gambling and blackmailing. She then connected me to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, who, she said, will explain what to do next. She said I would need to submit a clearance certificate to them,” Devi said in her complaint.
Devi was then allegedly connected to someone posing as an ACP from the Mumbai Police Crime Branch. The ‘officer’ warned her that an arrest warrant had been issued in her name, citing alleged involvement in hawala transactions and terror financing. He claimed her name had also surfaced in connection with funding terrorists behind the recent Pahalgam attacks.
“I am a 76-year-old woman… a widow living alone… I was afraid and under mental and psychological pressure. They wanted me to give all my bank account details and deposit security money to avoid arrest… they said it would be refunded after due enquiry in the case,” her complaint stated.
Under pressure and fearing legal action, the complainant told police she was instructed to “verify” her accounts and transfer funds for clearance certificates.
Between July 20 and August 13, police said Devi transferred around Rs 43 lakh in eight transactions through RTGS, IMPS, and QR codes from her HDFC, Karnataka Bank and Post Office accounts. The money was routed to multiple accounts.
Police said the cyber fraudsters kept pressuring her to deposit more money, making threatening WhatsApp and video calls while impersonating senior police officers. Despite already parting with her life savings, she alleged that they continued to demand an additional Rs 15 lakh.
“It is only after she was able to contact a lawyer she knew that she realised she was being scammed, and stopped engaging with the fraudsters,” police said.
In her complaint, Devi stated that the scam not only ruined her financially but also caused severe mental stress and health problems. “The whole episode has shattered me, including my mental and physical health, in addition to losing all my finances and putting me in great trouble,” she wrote, urging the police to prosecute the accused and give them “exemplary punishment”.
The Noida Police has registered a case under sections 308(2) (extortion), 318(4) (cheating), and 319(2) (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66D of the IT Act.
Police said an investigation is underway to trace the money trail and identify the fraudsters.
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