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Even MLCs are not safe: Bihar RJD leader says ‘digitally arrested’ at home for hours

Mohammad Shoaib received calls from two phone numbers on April 8, and the caller introduced himself as an officer from the Mumbai Police Cyber Crime Unit.

The complaint mentioned that the fraudsters also cited a fake case number and provided a mobile number linked to the MLC to lend credibility to their claims.

Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Mohammad Shoaib, a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) in Bihar, was allegedly “digitally arrested” at his Patna residence by cyber criminals who “extracted his personal information”, police said.

According to an FIR registered on the evening of April 10 based on Shoaib’s complaint, the accused coerced and threatened him with “legal action and even death” if he attempted to leave his home or seek help.

The complaint mentioned that he received calls from two phone numbers around 10:30 am on April 8, and the caller introduced himself as an officer from the Mumbai Police Cyber Crime Unit.

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“They said that I was involved in a money laundering case and had done fraudulent transactions and illegal online activities to the tune of crores through a Canara Bank account in Mumbai,” the FIR quotes him as saying.

The complaint mentioned that the fraudsters also cited a fake case number and provided a mobile number linked to the MLC to lend credibility to their claims.

The accused “virtually confined” Shoaib until midnight, repeatedly “threatening him with legal consequences and forcing him to share personal details, including sensitive banking information, to resolve the situation”.

“They even extracted my personal information, including Aadhaar number, details of assets such as gold and cash reserves, and a few records of my possessions. They also took my signature on blank paper,” the MLC told the police in his statement.

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“They said that if you step out of your house or reach out to others for assistance, chances are that you might even be killed,” he alleged.

Eventually suspecting foul play, Shoaib contacted the authorities to report the matter and filed the complaint.

Police have registered the case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.

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