Ankush Bahuguna, a popular YouTuber and social media personality from India, revealed a shocking experience of “digital arrest”, a cybercrime prevalent in the country.

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In a video on Instagram on Sunday (Jan 5), the content creator recounted the traumatic ordeal, detailing how he was forced into isolation for 40 hours by scammers and lost both his money and mental well-being.

“I've been missing from social media and everywhere for the last three days because I was held hostage by some scammers," he said in the video.

“I'm still in a little bit of a shock. I've lost money. I lost my mental health to this. I can't believe that this happened to me.”

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Bahuguna said he received a call from an unknown number, claiming that a package containing illegal items intended for China was linked to his name.

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The scammers manipulated him into believing his name was involved in serious criminal activities and was told that an arrest warrant had been issued for him.

Also read | India: Woman put under ‘digital arrest’, forced to strip, duped of $2,000

Bahuguna panicked and denied any knowledge about the package.

He was told that he needed to talk to the police about the matter.

The cybercriminals then connected him to a fake police official on a WhatsApp video call. He was interrogated and told that he had charges of money laundering, drug trafficking, and other serious crimes.

‘Self custody’ by scammers

“You are a prime suspect in this national case,” the officer told him, saying that he would be detained and subjected to abuse unless he cooperated with them. He was also told that he is now under “self-custody” for 40 hours.

“They isolated me completely,” Bahuguna said.

“I couldn't contact anyone, pick up calls, or even check messages. They claimed I was under self-custody and that anything I did could be used against me.”

The scammers forced him to remain trapped in the video call for 40 hours and forced him to show all notifications on his phone. They manipulated him into sharing sensitive information and forced him to make financial transactions under duress.

Also read | India: Bengaluru techie loses over USD 1.3 million in 'digital arrest' scam

“They played good cop, bad cop, breaking me down mentally. I was crying, but they kept me on the call for 40 hours straight,” the influencer recounted.

The fraudsters also threatened him that if he did not cooperate, his career would be destroyed and his family would be in danger.

Bahuguna was also forced to pretend to his concerned friends that everything was normal. He was also told to perform a transaction after going to a bank and checking into a hotel.

“I was literally crying and begging them,” Bahuguna recalled the chilling experience.

After 40 hours, he managed to connect with his family after he saw a text from his sister about the “digital arrest” scam.

“I've lost money, mental peace, and trust in so much,” he said.

“I'm sharing this because I don't want anyone else to go through what I did. If you get such calls, report them immediately and stay alert.”

(With inputs from agencies)