Bhopal Attorney Dies By Suicide After Digital Arrest Scam Falsely Linking Him to Terrorism

Police recovered a handwritten suicide note.

Bhopal:

Senior advocate Shiv Kumar Verma, 68, committed suicide at his residence in the Jahangirabad area of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on Monday night.

Verma, a well-respected attorney who had conducted last rites for many victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, reportedly took his own life after receiving threatening calls falsely linking him to terrorist financing activities.

This case appears to be Bhopal's first documented suicide triggered by cyber fraudsters employing "digital arrest" tactics and fabricated terrorism allegations.

According to Jahangirabad police, Verma resided in the Barkhedi area and was home alone when the incident occurred around 7:30 pm. His wife was visiting their daughter in Delhi, while his son works in Pune.

After repeatedly failing to reach him by phone throughout the evening, his wife contacted a tenant living on their property. The tenant investigated and discovered Verma hanging in his room, immediately alerting authorities. Medical professionals later confirmed his death at the hospital.

Investigators recovered a handwritten suicide note revealing the severe psychological trauma inflicted upon the elderly attorney.

In his note, Verma explained that an unknown caller claimed his name had appeared in connection with a terrorist plot near Delhi's Red Fort. The caller alleged an account in Verma's name had been used to finance the Pahalgam terror attack by transferring funds to a terrorist identified as Asim Joji. Verma expressed fear of being arrested as an "anti-national."

His note stated: "I am ending my life. Someone has falsely opened an account in HDFC Bank in my name and funded the Pahalgam attack terrorist Asim Joji. I cannot bear being branded an anti-national."

Poignantly, he also mentioned performing last rites for numerous Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims 41 years ago, adding a particularly tragic dimension to the case.

Authorities believe Verma fell victim to cyber criminals specializing in digital arrest scams, where victims are threatened, isolated, and psychologically manipulated.

Jahangirabad police investigating the case stated, "Primary investigation suggests this was the work of cyber fraudsters. He was threatened over phone calls and may have been kept in a state of digital arrest."

Verma's mobile phone and suicide note have been sent for forensic analysis as authorities work to trace the perpetrators who made the threatening calls.

Alarmingly, this represents the second case in three weeks involving cyber criminals targeting elderly Bhopal attorneys with terror-funding accusations. On November 3, an advocate in Koh-e-Fiza faced false charges of funding the Pulwama attack but avoided financial losses.

On November 20, cyber criminals extorted 68 lakh rupees from a retired bank manager in Shahpura through digital arrest tactics. In another incident, a retired PSU officer and his spouse were held in digital arrest for multiple days, losing 65 lakh rupees to fraudsters.

Police have registered a case and initiated a comprehensive investigation. Forensic experts are analyzing Verma's call records, banking information, and digital history to identify the cyber criminals responsible for driving him to suicide.