Bengaluru woman takes multiple loans to pay Rs 60 lakh to scamsters, falls into debt

Bengaluru: What began as a frightening phone call from a person claiming to be a police officer spiralled into a financial nightmare for a 32-year-old woman. She alleged that cyber fraudsters manipulated her into taking multiple loans and she lost nearly Rs 60 lakh.According to the complaint filed by a resident of Ganganagar in north Bengaluru, the fraudsters initiated the scam with a phone call through Telegram on Dec 17, 2025. The caller introduced himself as a police officer from Mumbai and claimed the woman’s identity proof had been misused in illegal advertisements and harassment calls, and that serious action would be taken against her.To make the threat appear genuine, the fraudsters shared a random mobile phone number and a bank account number and claimed they were being used for illegal activities and had been sourced using her Aadhaar card.

On the pretext of arresting her, the fraudsters asked her to cooperate with the virtual investigation and not inform anyone about the call.They sent several links through Telegram and instructed her to click on them. After she opened the links, her mobile phone was hacked and personal information and data stored on the phone were accessed by the fraudsters, the woman told police.Multiple persons spoke to her over phone and threatened to expose her personal details and implicate her in criminal activities unless she paid money.

Under pressure and fear of her personal data being leaked, the woman said she would pay but needed to take loan. The fraudsters then directed her to download quick-loan applications by sending her multiple links and forced her to take loans to make the payments.As the debt mounted, the victim allegedly began taking fresh loans to repay earlier ones. According to her, she paid Rs 60 lakh between Dec 17, 2025, and Jan 20 this year to multiple bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. The woman told police she still has an outstanding debt of around Rs 15 lakh.Adding to her ordeal, recovery agents linked to the loan apps continue to call her and send messages to her relatives, friends and colleagues, besides visiting her house to pressure her for repayment.