Influencer shares 40-hour ‘digital arrest’ scam ordeal

A social media influencer revealed that he had fallen for a digital scam that held him “hostage” for almost 40 hours, in the latest illustration of rampant cyber crime in India.

In an Instagram video on Sunday, Ankush Bahuguna narrated how he felt forced giving into the demands of the scammers even when they asked him to make several large financial transactions and keep everything from family and friends.

“I’ve been missing from social media and everywhere for the last three days because I was held hostage by some scammers,” he began. “I am 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.”

Mr Bahuguna received a call from an unlisted international number telling him his package had been cancelled for delivery and asking to press a number for further information and support.

Curious about a package that he did not remember sending, the influencer pressed the number, a decision he described as “the biggest mistake” of his life.

He was put through to a “customer support representative”, who went on to tell him the package had been seized by police as it contained “illegal” substances, but did not explain further.

Mr Bahuguna was further told there was an arrest warrant out for him and he had only an hour to contact police and explain that his identity had been stolen.

“I’m just panicking,” Mr Bahuguna recalled. “And then he convinces me that I don’t have enough time to go to the police station, so he will do me a favor by connecting me to the police directly.”

Mr Bahuguna was “connected” to someone claiming to belong to the Mumbai police via a video call on Whatsapp who proceeded to “interrogate” the influencer. He was told by the “policeman” that he was a “prime suspect” in a “national” case and was accused of money laundering and drug trafficking, which meant he was now in “self custody”.

“They isolated me completely. I was not allowed to pick up calls. I was not allowed to message people or reply to their messages, let anybody in the house. They told me that if I tried to reach out to anyone, they would arrest me and harm the people I contacted,” he said in the video.

For the next 40 hours, he said, the “police” asked him to turn off every electronic gadget in the house and show them on video he had done so, forbade him from answering any phone calls or responding to text messages.

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

After a while, Mr Bahuguna was told to make multiple “fishy” financial transactions, which he did, even travelling to a bank to do so.

“They took my bank details. They gathered so much personal information about my life,” he said. “They told me, ‘Your parents are in danger’ and ‘If you try to contact anyone, we’ll arrest you.’”

Mr Bahuguna’s friends and family called and texted him while he was in “self custody”, but he was told by “police” to ensure he kept their concerns at bay.

“People were messaging me asking, ‘Is someone holding you hostage? This is not normal behaviour. Do you need help?’”

“I was shaking, I was anxious, and I kept thinking, ‘What is happening? What is going on?’” he said. “I was literally crying and begging them.”

Mr Bahuguna finally managed to read one of the many messages he had received that mentioned “digital arrest” scams, which have become increasingly common in India.

“The thing with these scams is if you buy one lie, they will tell 10 more, and those will be scarier things,” he said.

In his caption of the video, the influencer thanked friends who had realised something was wrong and credited them with “literally” saving his life.

“I feel so lucky to have friends with such strong instincts who noticed a change in my behaviour even when they were getting ‘I am okay’ texts from me. They literally saved the day. Imagine if they hadn’t come looking for me or looked for clues! I’d probably still be in that cyber arrest and would’ve lost all my money,” he said.

“Pls beware of this scam. I know a lot of you are aware of it but I don’t think a lot of people understand the extent to which these scammers can go to control you!”

The Independent has reached out to Mr Bahuguna for comment.

The “digital arrest” scam was the subject of scores of news reports on cyber crime in 2024.

In such a scam, the perpetrators pose as law enforcement officials and intimidate victims with accusations of financial misconduct, tax evasion, or in Mr Bahuguna’s case, drug trafficking.

The victims are coerced into transferring large sums of money to bank accounts or UPI IDs on the pretext of “assisting with the investigation” or “refundable security deposit”.

According to Delhi’s cyber police, 2024 saw a significant rise in cyber fraud cases, with 61,525 complaints received until June, a considerable increase from the 55,267 cases reported during the same period last year. The data also shows that the scammers stole Rs 4.52bn (£42.18m), a 158 percent increase from the Rs 1.75bn (£16.33m) in 2023.

In November, a 69-year-old mother of two from Hyderabad, in the southern state of Telangana, lost her life’s savings—a sum of Rs 56m (£0.52m)—after making 14 transactions over 20 days on the instructions of scammers who accused her of being involved in a money laundering case.

In December, a 39-year-old software engineer from Bengaluru city reportedly lost Rs 118m (£1.1m) in a similar scam that lasted 18 days.

Grocery app’s ambulance service sparks debate over worker exploitation

Blinkit, a quick-commerce platform known for fast grocery deliveries, announced last week that it was branching out into emergency healthcare with a 10-minute ambulance service, sparking a discussion in India over its implications for workers and users alike.

Chief executive Albinder Dhindsa said the idea is to provide an affordable ambulance service, starting with five vehicles in Gurugram, a satellite city to the west of Delhi, and expanding across India over the next two years.

Each ambulance is fitted with essential life-saving equipment, like oxygen cylinders and automated external defibrillators, with a flat fee of Rs 2,000 (£19) per trip.

Mr Dhindsa emphasised that profit is not a motive for the service, saying the aim was to plug critical gaps in ambulance availability in India. “We will operate this service at an affordable cost for customers and invest in really solving this critical problem for the long term,” he said in a social media post.

Despite such assurances, commentators raised concerns about the feasibility and ethics of the service in the wider context of the treatment of gig workers by quick-commerce platforms.

Comedian Kunal Kamra accused companies like Blinkit and food delivery apps Zomato and Swiggy of exploiting delivery workers by making them work gruelling hours for unsustainable wages.

In a viral post on social media, Kamra criticised these platforms for “abusing the unfair advantage they have over the unemployed”, demanding transparency regarding worker pay, hours, and accident compensation. “Platform owners exploit gig workers and they aren’t job creators. They are landlords without owning any land,” Kamra declared.

Although platforms like Blinkit claim that workers can earn up to Rs 50,000 (£467) per month under a flexible “earn per delivery” model, delivery agents and independent surveys suggest otherwise.

Temporary delivery worker Dinesh Nalam described his earnings as inconsistent and unsustainable. “It’s hard to make Rs 25,000 (£234) full time. Rs 40,000 (£374) is like god tier,” he was quoted as saying by Livemint after a brief stint with a separate delivery app.

Reports from Bengaluru and Hyderabad show per-delivery earnings ranging between Rs 24 (£0.22) and Rs 50 (£0.46), far below expectations.

The Independent has contacted Blinkit for a comment.

India’s ambulance shortage is a longstanding problem.

A report published last June by the consultancy Primus Partners noted that there were 7,814 ambulances registered in 2020, and after a significant uptick during the Covid pandemic the number reached a peak of 14,236 registrations in 2021.

Subsequent years, however, saw a sharp decline in total registrations, with 12,737 in 2022 and 11,950 in 2023.

The pandemic highlighted the dire need for accessible emergency transportation, with many patients unable to find ambulances during critical moments. While Blinkit’s service aims to bridge this gap, critics remain divided over whether private intervention can adequately compensate for the lack of systemic reforms.

While some social media commentators lauded the Blinkit service as innovative, others saw it as a reflection of deeper societal inequities.

“Adopting and applauding private services that should inherently be a state function will harm us all eventually,” social media user Disha Verma wrote, describing the move as “dystopian”.

“The delivery workers are stretched to a great extent for compensation that is not justified at all,” another user named Ganeshan Iyer remarked. “Ten-minute delivery isn’t a landmark thing; it’s sheer exploitation of humanity to satisfy the whims of the buyer.”

Many expressed scepticism over relying on a delivery app for life-and-death situations. “Ambulances aren’t just about arriving on time; they’re about reliability,” Shanaita Shandilya, a Gurugram resident, told Hindustan Times, adding she would prefer hospital-run services.

Spanish tourist gored by ‘panic-stricken’ elephant at Thai sanctuary

A Spanish tourist was killed by an elephant she was bathing at a sanctuary in southern Thailand, police said on Monday.

Blanca Ojanguren García, 22, a student from Valladolid, was visiting the island of Yao Yai with her boyfriend on Friday when she was attacked by the elephant.

The couple were washing one of the animals at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre when she was gored, causing an injury from which she later died.

The elephant likely grew stressed or panicked from interacting with visitors outside its ecosystem, experts told local reporters.

Spain’s foreign ministry and its embassy in Bangkok confirmed García’s death.

“We can confirm the tragic death in an accident of a Spanish tourist,” the embassy said in a statement. “The Spanish consulate in Bangkok is in contact with the victim’s relatives and offering all the necessary consular assistance, as is normal in these types of circumstances.”

García studied at the University of Navarra but was living in Taiwan under an Erasmus academic exchange programme. She had travelled to Thailand as a tourist with her partner, an infantry cadet from Oviedo in Spain, according to The Telegraph.

She was taking part in an elephant bathing session, a popular tourist activity in Thailand, which allows visitors to interact with wildlife.

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation estimates that there are over 4,000 wild elephants in the country, living in sanctuaries, reserves and national parks.

The department has recorded at least 227 deaths from elephant attacks over the last 12 years, with 39 fatalities in 2024 alone.

World Animal Protection estimates that around 2,800 elephants in Thailand are held for tourism purposes. The charity has raised concerns over the treatment of such elephants, which are often kept in isolation, chained and made to perform tricks and other activities. It has alleged that the trainers often use methods involving hitting and lashing of the elephants.

The Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre states on its website that it is committed to “providing responsible and ethical interactions with elephants”. It claims it does not “control” or “use a hook on our elephants”.

The Independent has reached out to the centre for a comment.

In December, a 49-year-old woman was killed while taking a walk at the Phu Luang Wildlife Research Station in Loei. The park was temporarily closed to ensure the safety of visitors but has since been opened.

India issues red alert for zoos as four big cats die of H5N1 avian flu

India has issued a nationwide red alert for zoos and animal rescue centres after three tigers and a leopard died of H5N1 avian influenza.

The four big cats died late last month at a rescue centre in Nagpur, in the western state of Maharashtra, after contracting the virus, authorities said.

The animals, relocated from Chandrapur to the Gorewada Rescue Centre earlier last month after instances of human-wildlife conflict, showed symptoms shortly after arrival and died by 30 December.

Samples taken from the carcasses tested positive for H5N1 on 1 January.

The central government has now issued an alert to all zoos, advising vigilance for symptoms in captive animals. Maharashtra’s forest department has also placed its zoos and rescue centres on high alert, with containment measures in place at Gorewada, including disinfection and staff precautions.

After medical checks, staff at the centre have been equipped with personal protective equipment as a precautionary measure.

“It is a highly contagious viral disease with zoonotic ramifications. It is, therefore, advised that all zoos remain alert and vigilant for any symptoms among captive animals housed in zoos and incidence, if any, in nearby areas,” the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying said in an advisory on 3 January.

While no other animal at the Nagpur centre has shown symptoms, investigations are underway to determine the virus’s source.

“We came to know about the deaths in the last week of December, after which we followed protocols and sent samples for testing. The reports showed H5N1 positive, but none of us are aware of the source of transmission,” Shatanik Bhagwat, divisional manager of the Gorewada centre, was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

It is suspected, however, that the tigers and the leopard contracted the virus through exposure to contaminated food sources like raw poultry.

The rescue facility, typically off limits to visitors, has temporarily halted operations.

Japanese city paints notorious street in red light district yellow

A street in the red light district of Japan’s Osaka has been painted in yellow and decorated with murals to curb prostitution.

The Kita Ward, which is known for illicit activities like prostitution, was painted yellow last month as part of an experiment to see if it causes a psychological effect on the public. The street, about 100m long, was also decorated with murals depicting aquatic life.

Authorities believe the revamp will deter women from soliciting customers in the area ahead of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, which is scheduled to take place from April to October.

If successful, the initiative may be extended to other areas where prostitution is prevalent.

Last year, the Osaka prefectural police arrested 30 women on suspicion of violating Japan’s prostitution prevention law.

In recent years, there have been increasing efforts by local authorities to crack down on illegal sex work in red light areas. Many of those involved in prostitution are women, some of them trafficked or exploited.

Osaka authorities came up with the plan to repaint the street after efforts by the police had no effect on the illegal trade practices in the area.

In October last year, a businessman was arrested on suspicion of forcing 150 women into prostitution in a bid to earn an income and pay back a massive debt. The police said the accused and his four associates arranged venues for prostitution at his high-end Japanese restaurants in Osaka city for six months.

According to Japan Times, a park in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho district in Tokyo has emerged as a hotbed for sex tourism where unregulated street prostitution has exposed loopholes in the anti-prostitution law of 1956.

While prostitution remains illegal in Japan, certain forms of adult entertainment such as “soaplands” are used as a loophole.

“Soaplands” are businesses where customers can engage in non-penetrative sex acts, which are technically legal as long as they don’t involve direct intercourse.

Additionally, “fashion health” establishments offer similar services under the guise of massages or companionship.

Number of chickens culled in Japan soars to 1.7m in bird flu outbreak

Japanese authorities have begun culling another 50,000 chickens following the confirmation of a bird flu outbreak at a poultry farm in the northern Iwate region.

This marks the 19th outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the country this season, according to the agriculture ministry.

In all, about 1.7 million birds have been culled since the start of the season in 11 prefectures, the ministry was reported by the news agency Jiji Press as saying in December.

The latest outbreak was confirmed on Sunday after the farm reported a surge in bird deaths. Genetic tests identified the virus as the cause, prompting immediate containment measures, AFP reported.

Mr Hiroshi Yoshida, an official in the regional Iwate government, announced that movement restrictions had been imposed on 170,000 birds across two nearby farms within a 3km radius of the affected site.

Additionally, a 10km surveillance zone had been established, restricting the transport of almost 3.8 million birds in the vicinity.

Last Thursday, separate farms in Iwate and the central Aichi region culled 120,000 and 147,000 birds respectively after similar infections were confirmed. The largest culling this season occurred in December at a farm in Ibaraki prefecture, where over 1.1 million birds were killed to curb the spread of the virus.

In November, around 2,500 chickens were culled after an outbreak of the virus was reported on a farm in Gyoda city’s Saitama prefecture.

The environment ministry raised the bird flu alert to its highest level in October following detections in wild birds in Hokkaido.

“While bird flu rarely affects humans without close contact with infected birds, we urge the public to avoid touching bird carcasses and to report any sightings to local authorities,” the ministry stated.

Authorities have pledged to intensify monitoring and containment efforts as they navigate the ongoing challenge of preventing the virus from spreading further.

Chinese citizens held for allegedly smuggling gold bars in car seats

Three Chinese nationals have been arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo for allegedly illegally smuggling gold and silver bars.

The gold and silver bars as well as $800,000 (£650,000) in cash were recovered from a speeding car, concealed in the seats, Jean Jacques Purusi, governor of the South Kivu province, said.

This is the second time in a month that Chinese nationals have been arrested for suspected smuggling in the mineral-rich African country, which has been plundered by foreign groups for gold, diamond and silver.

The illegal mineral trade is a longstanding problem that has fueled conflict, corruption and human rights abuses as armed militias and criminal groups often control mining operations in remote areas, forcing miners into dangerous and exploitative labour.

Mr Purusi said a speeding car was chased and stopped in Mashango village in Walungu and the gold bars were discovered after a thorough search, according to Actualite CD.

The governor claimed that the accused were connected to influential people, whom he did not identify, in the capital Kinshasa. “I understood that if we were not careful, we risked missing them. We learned that the minerals were to leave today,” he said.

Last month, at least 17 Chinese nationals were detained for allegedly running an illegal gold mine in the country. They were later freed and allowed to return to China.

The governor expressed shock over their release. He claimed that the miners owed the government $10m (£8m) in unpaid taxes and fines.

Meanwhile, activists in recent years have raised concerns over the rapid encroachment of a Chinese gold mine in the eastern Ituri province into the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, an endangered World Heritage site.

Residents and wildlife experts say the mining is polluting rivers and soil, decimating trees, swelling the population, and increasing poaching, with little accountability.

Search at Jeju Air plane crash site comes to an end

Search operations at the site of the Jeju Air plane crash concluded on Saturday, one week after the devastating accident claimed 179 lives.

Officials announced that all 179 bodies have been recovered, with 151 already returned to their families along with identified personal belongings.

The remaining 25 bodies, excluding those of a family of three, are expected to be returned to their families on Sunday, South Korean media reported. Officials said further discovery of bodies or personal belongings is unlikely.

The crash occurred when the flight, carrying 181 passengers and crew from Thailand to South Korea, issued a mayday call before belly-landing and slamming into a barrier.

Only two flight attendants survived the incident, which left the aircraft almost entirely destroyed except for the tail section.

The cause of the crash remains unknown, but investigators have pointed to several possibilities, including a bird strike, faulty landing gear, and the plane striking a localiser structure – an antenna array housed in a concrete wall to help pilots maintain the correct approach path – at the end of the runway.

South Korean police, which has also been investigating the incident, raided the offices of Jeju Air and the Muan airport operator earlier this week, securing evidence such as the airport’s localiser and communication records between the control tower and the pilot before the crash.

South Korea’s Transport Ministry confirmed that investigators have made progress in analysing the cockpit voice recorder recovered from the wreckage which may shed light on the events leading up to the crash.

The crash has prompted the South Korean government to order emergency inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by domestic carriers. Investigators are focusing on the landing gear, which appeared to have malfunctioned during the Jeju Air crash.

The tragedy has shaken South Korea, prompting the acting president to call for a comprehensive review of airline operations and airport safety infrastructure. The crash occurred at Muan International Airport, where the localiser at the end of the runway is under scrutiny for potentially exacerbating the crash’s impact.

Jeju Air, facing significant public backlash, has seen a sharp drop in its stock value and over 60,000 flight cancellations. The company is cooperating with authorities as investigations continue.

This incident marks one of deadliest aviation disasters in South Korea.