Digital Arrest: Cyber Thugs Rob Ashram Monk of Crore
Swami Supradiptananda fell victim to a cybercrime by a layered gang posing as ED officers, using forged documents and psychological pressure to siphon mission funds.
New Delhi: A senior monk of Ramakrishna Mission Ashram was seized by hackers acting as personnel of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Gwalior after being held under “digital arrest” for 26 days. Police reported that ₹2.52 crore was taken from the mission’s accounts in a matter of days.
This began on March 15, when an ED official called Swami Supradiptananda, the ashram’s secretary since 2014. He was being investigated for a ₹20 crore transaction allegedly linked to an infamous case involving the Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal. The reference to an actual case and the use of forged documents stunned the monk, who immediately started cooperation with the cunning grays of the cyber-setup.
Police say the criminals used actual excerpts from the ED’s November 2023 prosecution complaint against Goyal and his companies to lend credence to their duplicity. They backed their veracity with a bundle of forged documents, including a fake bank statement and a forged PDF demonstrating suspicious transactions in a Canara Bank account supposedly opened using the monk’s Aadhaar.
The monk was told to produce all the monetary accounts of the Ramakrishna Mission. The funds would “needed to be verified” by the Reserve Bank of India, and the money would be returned after the conclusion of an internal investigation. Overwhelmed and introduced into the idea of a lawful investigation, the monk revealed the full banking credentials of the ashram and, more alarming, consented to the transfers.
The mind games from the cyber agency continued against him without any breaks. Non-disclosure to anyone, including family members and fellow monks, was compounded with threats of arrest, a penalty of INR 500,000, and a seven-year jail term. Under constant threat, he had to keep sending live updates to the criminals via WhatsApp one hour with his location and recent selfies, which seemed to have compelled him and eroded his stand.
The same fraudsters masqueraded as investigative agencies, continuing to send counterfeit links, documents, and threats reinforcing this scheme. During the ordeal, Swami Supradiptananda ended up transferring ₹2,52,99,000 to multiple unknown accounts across the country, thinking that it was a lawful verification process.
The monk, however, became suspicious when his refund never materialized on April 11, with no answers from either of the so-called officers. Realizing that Swami had been involved in a major cyber scam, he approached Gwalior Superintendent of Police Dharamveer Singh. The police immediately lodged the FIR against the cyber fraud and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to pursue the accused.
He informed the media that teams had been dispatched to West Bengal, Assam, and other suspected places involved with this case. One of the accounts used for fund transfers has already been tracked down to Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh.
“This is a clear case of high-level cyber manipulation against not just an individual but a spiritual institution,” SP Singh said. “It was a highly successful psychological and financial cyber-attack. We are trailing digital evidence to establish the entire network perpetrating this crime.”
Thus, this case casts a shadow on the increasing concerns about cyber threats being constantly hurled towards religious and other voluntary organizations as they are soft targets due to their inherent lack of cyber vigilance.
Authorities are encouraging organizations to maintain good cyber hygiene, while also urging the general public to maintain vigilance against unsolicited calls—especially those claiming investigations or involving government agencies.
Investigations are still on; however, Swami Supradiptananda has resumed work at the ashram, closely assisting the authorities in their endeavors to bring the cybercriminals to justice.
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