Kalyan: A 38-year-old woman from Dombivli died by suicide on Tuesday after learning that a bank account had been opened in her name using forged documents and had been used in multiple cyber fraud cases across different states with transactions worth at least Rs 1.5 crore.The deceased was identified as Devika Armugam Pandaram, a divorcee who lived in Sairam Society in Dombivli (E) with her father.The matter came to light after officials from Churu Cyber Cell police station in Rajasthan visited Pandaram’s residence on August 8 and served her a notice to appear for questioning in connection with a case registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.Pandaram, along with her father, approached the Cyber Crime Department at Thane Police Commissionerate to seek details about the case. She was shocked to learn that multiple cyber fraud cases had been registered in different states, including Haryana, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, in connection with transactions made through the bank account allegedly opened using her documents.Assistant commissioner of police Suhas Hemade said, “The primary probe has revealed that a man from Rajasthan, who is related to her family, used her documents to open a bank account, which was allegedly used by cyber fraudsters for transactions worth around Rs 1.5 crore.”Further investigation is underway to establish how her documents were obtained and used to allegedly facilitate the cyber fraud transactions.Police said Pandaram did petty jobs to earn a living. Her father told police that she became anxious after receiving the notice and learning about her alleged involvement in cyber fraud cases. Overwhelmed by anxiety and fearing that she would have to travel to different states to face police questioning, Pandaram allegedly took the extreme step at her residence at 4pm on Tuesday.Her family members rushed her to a nearby private hospital, from where she was referred to the KDMC-run Shastri Nagar Hospital, where doctors declared her ‘brought dead’.Manpada police have registered an accidental death report and launched an investigation.Need help? Contact, MPower Mental Health Helpline 1800-120-820050 or Ankahee Foundation on 86-554 86-966.
