A 56-year-old woman from Surat, Meenaben Mohanbhai Rathod, died while being questioned by Maharashtra’s Nashik Cyber Cell in connection with a cyber fraud investigation. According to police, the media highlighted, a sum of Rs 6 lakh had been credited to Meenaben’s bank account around seven months earlier and was immediately withdrawn.
A team from the Nashik Cyber Cell, which included senior police inspector Shubhash Dhawale and two other officials, had travelled to Surat on Sunday to investigate further. They were assisted by Amroli police and visited Meenaben’s residence on Barodi Street in the Chhaprabhata area. She was subsequently asked to appear at the Amroli police station for questioning.
In the afternoon, Meenaben arrived at the police station accompanied by her son, Ravi Rathod. During the interrogation, a power outage occurred, prompting the officers to move the session to an open garden within the police campus. It was during this period that Meenaben reportedly began experiencing breathing difficulties and appeared visibly frightened. She was unable to respond to the officials’ questions, and her condition worsened. She was then allowed to leave and was rushed to SMIMER Hospital, run by the Surat Municipal Corporation, where she was declared dead.
Her son, Ravi, accused the Nashik Cyber Cell officials of negligence. He said his mother had been struggling to breathe due to the intense heat and that he had pleaded with the officials three times to let her go so she could receive medical attention. According to him, the officers continued the questioning despite his repeated requests. He said his mother was shivering with fear, her blood pressure had dropped, and he had even suggested that she be summoned for questioning another time since the officials knew where the family lived. He held the officers responsible for her death.
Police stated that the exact cause of Meenaben’s death was still unknown, though her blood pressure was noted to have dropped during the questioning. The Amroli police have registered an accidental death report and will be recording the statements of the Nashik Cyber Cell officials involved in the incident.
Amroli police inspector D K Patel confirmed that an accidental death report had been filed. He added that statements from all three Cyber Cell officials would be taken, and further action would depend on their testimonies.
Inspector Shubhash Dhawale of the Nashik Cyber Cell stated that the case under investigation was a cyber fraud registered approximately three months ago. He explained that multiple bank accounts had been used in the fraudulent activity, and three people had already been arrested. Upon discovering that a portion of the money had been credited to Meenaben’s account, the team had proceeded to Surat. During the interrogation, Meenaben had allegedly said that she had shared her bank account details with another individual and had allowed them to use it.
According to Amroli police, Meenaben lived with her husband Mahesh Rathod, their son Ravi, and daughter-in-law. Both Meenaben and her daughter-in-law worked as domestic helpers. Her husband was unemployed and suffering from illness, while Ravi, who had met with an accident five months earlier, was also not working at the time.
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