Thane Woman Learns Account Was Used in Cyber Frauds Across India, Ends Life

Overwhelmed by anxiety after learning her bank account was allegedly used in multiple cyber fraud cases across India, a 38-year-old woman committed suicide at her residence in Thane district, police said on Thursday.

The deceased was identified by police as Devika Armugam Pandaram, a resident of Sairam Society in Dombivli (East).

According to police, officials from the Churu Cyber Cell police station in Rajasthan visited Pandaram's home on August 8.

They served her a notice to appear for questioning regarding a case registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Information Technology Act, alleging her Bank of Maharashtra account was utilized for carrying out an online fraud, they said.

Seeking clarification, she approached the Cyber Crime Department at the Thane Police Commissionerate. Officials at the commissionerate informed her that multiple cyber fraud cases had been registered against her across several states, including Haryana, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu, said police.

Panic-stricken over the prospect of traveling to various states to face police questioning, Pandaram used a sharp blade to cut her wrist and throat at around 4 pm on Tuesday, police said, quoting her relatives.

Relatives rushed her to a nearby private hospital, from where she was referred to the municipal-run Shastri Nagar Hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead, they added.

Police have registered a case of accidental death and launched an investigation.

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