In the sweltering heat of July 2024, Dr Abhay Narayan Roy, an 80-year-old renowned physician from Gaya, a southern district in Bihar, found himself at the center of a nightmare that would cost him Rs. 4.4 crores. The retired government doctor, now running a large private hospital and serving as the president of the Bihar chapter of the Indian Medical Association, fell victim to a cyber scam so sophisticated it seemed almost inescapable.
The ordeal began with a phone call. The voice on the other end claimed to be from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and told the doctor that a criminal case had been registered against him, alleging his involvement in money laundering through a bank account in Mumbai linked to his name.
"The caller told me that if I want to avoid action by the investigating agency, I should immediately send all the money in my bank to accounts sent by them, so that further investigation can be done," Dr. Roy recounted in his complaint to the police.
The caller told him that an arrest warrant would be filed against him if he failed to do so.
Frightened by the prospect of arrest and the damage to his reputation, Dr Roy followed the scammers' instructions. Between July 31 and August 5, he transferred a staggering Rs. 4.4 crores to bank accounts provided by the fraudsters.
After transferring the money, the doctor called back on the number. The phone was switched off. This is when he realised that he had been duped.
Dr. Roy's case, while shocking in its scale, is far from unique in Bihar. The state has become a hotbed for cyber crime, with thousands falling victim to increasingly sophisticated scams each year.
According to a PIB press release from February 2024, Bihar registered 42,029 cyber fraud complaints on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal in 2023 alone, with total losses amounting to Rs. 243.28 crores.
Despite promptly filing complaints with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and the Gaya cyber police station, progress in Dr. Roy's case has been minimal.
A month after the incident, investigators have only managed to freeze Rs. 61 lakhs of the stolen funds. The case's high-profile nature led to the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), but the investigation faces significant hurdles.
An officer associated with the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed the complexity of the case. "The cyber criminals have transferred the defrauded money to more than 100 fake bank accounts, but there is a delay in getting the details of these bank accounts, due to which the investigation is almost stalled."
In his complaint, the doctor also claimed that the name of CBI Mumbai Branch appeared on True Caller, making him believe that the call was genuine, an officer at the cyber police station told Decode.
The police investigation has also revealed that the SIM card of the number from which the fraud call was made was issued just a few hours before the call, which shows that there has been laxity in issuing SIM cards.
The challenges faced in Dr. Roy's case are emblematic of the broader issues plaguing cyber crime investigations in Bihar.
SN Kumar, a Patna High Court lawyer who represents victims in many cyber crime cases, points to a fundamental problem.
"Bihar cyber police does not even have the basic technology to expose cyber crimes and that is why most of the cases are pending for a long time. Bihar police have to depend on the latest technology available in other states for investigating the case," the lawyer told Decode.
The lack of resources extends beyond technology. A police officer from the Patna cyber cell unit, speaking anonymously, highlighted the human resource gap. "We do not have highly trained staff, which is making it difficult to solve cyber crime cases. Along with this, we also lack manpower," he said.
The police officer also alleged the lack of accountability from banks. “In cases related to cyber crime, the details of the bank accounts where the defrauded money has gone are crucial. But banks take a lot of time to provide the details, which affects the investigation.”
These systemic issues leave victims like Shekhar Suman, a resident of Bihar Sharif in Nalanda, with little hope.
Suman lost Rs. 1.56 lakhs in July 2023 through a similar scam. "Till now neither have I received my money nor has any arrest been made in this case," he told Decode.
In his complaint to the police, Suman said that on July 6 last year, he received a call where the caller introduced himself as an employee of Axis Bank and asked to increase the credit card limit. However, he immediately ended the call. At the same time, Suman received a video call from an unknown number on WhatsApp and was sent a link.
“As soon as I clicked on that link, Rs 1.56 lakh was deducted from my account,” he recollected.
Decode has extensively reported on APK ((Android Package Kit) scams where users into deceived into installing software that can steal personal data or hijack their devices. It can happen with just one click on a link.
A research paper titled "Review on dynamics of cyber crimes and awareness: A study in Bihar," published in June 2024, sheds light on the root causes of the problem. The paper points to socio-economic inequality, limited digital literacy, and insufficient cybersecurity infrastructure as key factors contributing to the high incidence of cybercrimes in Bihar.
Ajit Kumar, a Research Scholar at the University Department of Mathematics, B. R. A. Bihar University (Muzaffarpur) and co-author of the paper, emphasizes the need for targeted awareness campaigns. "During our research we found that financial fraud is much higher compared to other states and this is because phones have reached the vast population but there is a lack of awareness about cyber frauds. Bihar needs digital awareness but there should be awareness organising nukkad natak and other traditional forms so that it reaches people."
The paper noted, “The examination demonstrates a notable increase in cyber assaults that specifically target financial institutions, government entities, and naïve individuals. The rapid increase in the number of mobile devices and social media platforms has made it easier for disinformation and cyber bullying to propagate, making the situation worse. Multiple variables contribute to the high incidence of cybercrimes in Bihar. Prominent issues arise from socio-economic inequality, restricted digital literacy, and insufficient cybersecurity infrastructure.”
“To effectively combat cybercrimes in the digital era, it is necessary for governments, law enforcement agencies, businesses, and individuals to collaborate and improve cybersecurity measures, increase awareness, and reinforce legal frameworks,” the research paper pointed out.
The researcher told Decode that despite rising cyber crimes, when vacancies are announced for police posts in Bihar, the government does not make BCA, MCA and B-tech as preferred educational qualifications.
Bihar was a late starter in combating cyber crimes. The state established a cyber cell under the Economic Offenses Unit (EOU) in Patna in 2011 but the state forensic lab and training center was opened only in 2022.
The state had been investigating cyber fraud cases from its sole Patna unit of cyber cell until it opened 44 cyber police stations in various districts in June 2023.
Nayyar Hasnain Khan, Additional Director-General (ADG) of Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Bihar police had told the media that all these police stations have been provided with a toolkit (hardware and software) for high-level investigation.
But, these police stations do not have adequate staff nor do they have technology. On an average there are just 7-8 police personnel in every cyber police station.
An officer associated with a district level cyber police station said, "We lack modern technologies and in most cases we have to depend on the headquarters of the cyber cell. Apart from this, the training of the staff posted in the cyber police station is also not such that they can understand the intricacies of cyber crime and do research."
Another officer from a district-level cyber police station said, "We receive two to three cases of cyber crime every day, but we do not have enough officers to start an investigation immediately. Immediate action is necessary to detect cyber crime, but this does not happen and criminals get a chance to erase their digital footprints.”
The state has no Cyber Forensic Laboratory which is crucial in cyber crime detection. An officer said, “Often we have to send samples to other states which takes time and sometimes evidence gets damaged.”
Last month, the government approved two Forensic Science Laboratories in Patna and Rajgir, with a budget of Rs. 13.66 crores. The National Forensic Science University, Gandhinagar has been appointed as a consultant for setting up the lab. The university will support the labs for five years and provide 12 scientific officers and cyber experts.
“We are hoping this will help us in cracking cyber crime,” a cyber crime official told Decode.
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Bihar police has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to enhance capabilities in cyber crime prevention, awareness, and forensics.
However, for victims like Dr. Roy and Shekhar Suman, these developments to build better infrastructure may already be too late. While the race between cyber criminals and law enforcement continues, ordinary citizens are caught in the crossfire.