Bengaluru, Nov 17: A shocking incident of a 57-year-old woman techie losing Rs 31.83 crore to cyber crooks after being trapped in a digital arrest for more than six months has been reported from Bengaluru.

The police have launched a hunt to bust the gang following a complaint lodged at the East Cyber Crime Police Station in Bengaluru, officials said on Monday.

The victim transferred Rs 31.83 crore in 187 transactions. She exhausted all her savings and deposits except for her fixed deposits. The accused had assured her that she would get her money back by February after verification, but kept postponing the date on one pretext or another. Police sources claim that this is one of the biggest digital arrest cases reported in Karnataka.

Growing suspicious, the victim lodged a complaint with the cybercrime police on November 14. She stated that due to her son’s marriage ceremony and other reasons, she had delayed filing the complaint.

According to the police, the cybercriminals kept the victim under digital arrest for more than six months and severed contact after extorting a huge amount.

Her ordeal began on September 15, 2024, when she received a call from a person claiming to be from a reputed courier company, who said that a package in her name — containing three credit cards, four passports, and banned MDMA — had been received at a courier centre in Andheri, Mumbai.

The victim told the caller that she lives in Bengaluru and knows nothing about the package. He then told her that since the package was linked to her mobile number, it could be a case of cyber fraud, and she needed to lodge a complaint. Before she could react, he connected her call to another person who claimed to be an officer from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The accused ensured that she did not contact the police helpline or seek legal assistance by convincing her that she was being monitored by cybercriminals. Later, they issued direct threats, saying that if she shared the information, they would implicate her entire family in the case.

As her son’s wedding was approaching, she succumbed to the pressure and acted as per their instructions. The accused later contacted her through Skype video, identifying himself as one Pradeep Singh. He informed her that for a week, another associate named Rahul Yadav would monitor her. She was restrained at home during this period. The accused opted for work-from-home and stayed in her residence.

On September 23, 2024, the accused asked the victim to declare her properties to the Reserve Bank of India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). After she declared her assets and cash, the accused extorted money from her in stages. They even issued her a fake clearance certificate.

Further investigation is underway.

Mumbai, Nov 17: The Indian stock market began the week on a positive note as both the Sensex and Nifty opened in the green on Monday.

The rebound comes as investors show confidence amid the NDA’s win in the Bihar Elections 2025 and strong movement in select stocks.

The Sensex was seen trading at 84,759, up 196 points or 0.23 per cent. The Nifty also moved higher to 25,963, gaining 53 points or 0.21 per cent.

“On the weekly chart, the Nifty has shown a firm recovery from key support zones, closing above 25,900 and signaling a sideways-to-bullish bias,” experts said.

“Immediate support is placed at 25,800 and 25,700, offering opportunities to accumulate on dips, while resistance levels are seen at 26,000 and 26,100 — the latter acting as a critical breakout point. A sustained move above 26,100 could open the door for an upside extension toward the 26,250–26,400 zone in the coming weeks,” they added.

Major Sensex gainers in early trade included Kotak Bank, L&T, Titan Company, M&M, SBI, Tech Mahindra, and ITC, all rising up to 1 per cent.

On the other hand, Tata Motors PV was the biggest loser, slipping 6 per cent. Other laggards included Eternal, Ultratech Cement, TCS, Power Grid, and Infosys.

The broader market sentiment was also positive. The Nifty MidCap index rose 0.45 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index climbed 0.48 per cent.

Among sectoral indices, the Bank Nifty touched a fresh lifetime high of 58,830 after rising 0.5 per cent. The Nifty PSU Bank index gained 1.2 per cent, while the Nifty Private Bank and FMCG indices added 0.5 per cent each.

The Nifty Financial Services index also inched up 0.4 per cent.

Analysts said that the market opened with renewed strength, supported by banking stocks and improving investor sentiment.

“Q2 results declared so far indicate an uptrend in earnings growth. Net profits have grown by 10.8 per cent, which is the best in the last six quarters. This is a beat over earlier estimates. The present trends in consumption indicate that earnings will further improve in Q3,” market watchers mentioned.

Mumbai: Mumbai woke up to a pleasantly cool and refreshing Monday morning marked by clear skies, gentle breezes and mild winter-like conditions. The early hours offered residents temporary relief from the city’s typically warm and humid climate, with temperatures dipping enough to bring a slight coldness to the air. Despite this promising weather, a thin veil of haze hovered over the skyline, subtly hinting at the return of deteriorating air quality, an issue that has been recurring throughout the season.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Mumbai is expected to experience clear skies throughout the day, with maximum temperatures likely reaching around 31°C. Night and early morning temperatures may fall close to 16°C, giving the city a touch of wintry comfort not commonly felt during November. However, visibility levels remained comparatively low during the initial hours of the day, as a blanket of smog lingered over several regions of the city, masking what could have been a perfectly crisp morning.

This resurgence of air pollution comes shortly after heavy rainfall had briefly cleansed the atmosphere, washing away suspended particulates and offering improved humidity and visibility conditions. For a short period, residents enjoyed noticeably cleaner and fresher air, but with the rain spell ending, pollutants have begun to accumulate again, rapidly pushing Mumbai’s air quality back into alarming territory.

The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) shot up to unhealthy levels, undoing the temporary environmental relief. Data recorded on Monday morning revealed Mumbai’s overall AQI at 251, categorised as unhealthy. This marks a notable decline from the moderate levels witnessed earlier in the month.

Among the most severely affected locations was the Wadala Truck Terminal, which recorded an AQI of 365, placing it deep in the severe category. Malad (318) and Colaba (311) also reflected severe air quality, while Worli (308) and Mazgaon (305) remained in the same critical bracket.

Although suburban localities fared slightly better, their readings still remained below satisfactory levels. Kandivali East (137) and Mankhurd (153) fell into the poor range, while areas like Malad West (163), Powai (183) and Santacruz East (187) also hovered in poor territory.

As per AQI standards, readings between 0–50 are considered Good, 51–100 Moderate, 101–150 Poor, 151–200 Unhealthy and any value above 200 falls under Severe or Hazardous, a range into which many of Mumbai’s key locations have now slipped.