Mumbai: Malwani school parents get calls their kids have been kidnapped or arrested, one family pays ransom

Parents of students from a school at Malwani in Malad have raised concerns after receiving fraudulent calls from unknown individuals The callers posing as crime branch officers or kidnappers falsely claimed that their children had been arrested or kidnapped and demanded ransomAccording to sources four students from Mother Teressa High School and Junior College in Malwani reported that their parents received calls from cyber fraudsters in the past couple of weeks The callers alleged that the children had been involved in crimes including rape and had been arrested or kidnappedThe calls left many parents shocked with some so frightened that they disconnected immediately and rushed to the school to check on their children In one instance the fraudsters allowed a parent to speak with someone impersonating their child The parent emotionally distressed was convinced to transfer money to the caller Unable to arrange the required amount immediately the parent borrowed funds from a friend and sent the money via Google PayPrincipal showing awareness message sent to parentsSchoolrsquos responseAfter the incidents were reported the school promptly sent a message to all students and their families warning them about the fraudulent calls The message urged parents not to entertain such calls and to report them to the police immediatelyVictim accountsFirst Victim On December 5 Shafique Ansari a 52yearold auto driver received a WhatsApp call while he was dropping a passenger The caller posing as a crime branch officer informed him that his youngest son Zaid a Class 9 student at Mother Teressa High School had been arrested in a rape caseAnsari shared ldquoThe caller confirmed my sonrsquos name and school before claiming he had been arrested He then made me talk to someone pretending to be my son The voice said lsquoAbbu mujhe bacha lo ye log mujhe bohot maar rahe hainrsquo Father save me they are assaulting me badlyrdquo The caller demanded R20000 for Zaidrsquos release Despite a passenger advising him not to send money Ansari panicked borrowed the amount from a friend and transferred it via Google Pay He later called his wife who went to the school and discovered that Zaid was safeThe school children playing in Mother Teressa High School and Junior CollegeSecond Victim On the same day December 5 Kamrunnisa the mother of Ayesha Shaikh a Class 12 student at Mother Teressa Junior College received a call claiming her daughter had been kidnappedldquoI was terrifiedrdquo she said ldquoThe callerrsquos voice wasnrsquot clear so I disconnected and rushed to the school where I found my daughter safe in class I turned off my phone to avoid further distressrdquoThird Victim On December 3 the mother of Arsalan Siddiqui another Class 12 student received a call from a fraudster claiming to be a crime branch officer The caller alleged that Arsalan and four friends had been arrested on rape charges but said the case had not been officially registered The caller demanded R50000 via Google Pay for Arsalans releaseThe fraudster had detailed knowledge of Arsalan his school and his friends making the call seem genuine However Arsalanrsquos mother confirmed her sonrsquos safety after reaching the schoolFourth Victim The family of Misbah another Class 12 student received a similar call The fraudster claimed Misbah and other girls had been arrested in a kidnapping case Misbahrsquos father offered to pay in person at the Malwani police station but decided to check the school first He found his daughter safe and reported the incident to the policeMisbahrsquos father suggested that the school provide a dedicated emergency contact number for parents The school has since implemented this measure to prevent further panicSchoolrsquos statementDr Riyaz A Khan chairman and principal of Mother Teressa High School and Junior College said ldquoWe have circulated an awareness message to all parents informing them about fraudulent calls claiming their child has been arrested These are cybercrime scams designed to extort money Scammers may even use recordings of childrenrsquos voices to make their claims appear legitimaterdquoHe urged parents to remain vigilant and to contact the school or police if they receive such callsRs 20000Amount one parent lost to the fraudFourNo of victims so far