An elderly couple from Beedi village in Khanapur taluk of Belagavi district ended their lives after allegedly falling victim to cyber fraud, losing ₹50 lakh to scammers who threatened them with “digital arrest.” This is reportedly the first such case in the region where victims have died by suicide due to fear of digital threats.
The deceased have been identified as Diogjeron alias Diago Santan Nazareth (82), a retired Maharashtra government employee, and his wife Flaviana (79), residents of Christian Galli, Beedi. The couple, who had no children, were found dead at their home on Thursday evening. While Diogjeron was found in an underground water tank with self-inflicted injuries, Flaviana was discovered lifeless on the bed. Police suspect she may have consumed sedatives.
A two-page handwritten suicide note in English was recovered, where Diogjeron stated that they chose to end their lives as they did not want to live at someone else’s mercy. He named two individuals—Sumit Birra and Anil Yadav—who allegedly harassed them over phone calls. Birra, claiming to be from the telecom department, accused Diogjeron of having a SIM card involved in illegal advertisements, and later connected him to Yadav, who claimed to be from the crime branch.
The note mentioned repeated threats and demands for financial and property details. Diogjeron also referred to multiple transactions above ₹5,000 via Paytm, even providing the app’s PIN. He revealed taking a gold loan of ₹7.15 lakh and borrowing money from friends, requesting that all dues be cleared by selling gold ornaments. The couple expressed a wish for their bodies to be donated to a medical institution for study purposes.
Superintendent of Police Dr. Bheemashankar Guled confirmed that ₹50 lakh had been transferred from the couple’s account to various other accounts, and investigations are ongoing to determine how much reached the fraudsters. The police have taken the phone, suicide note, and weapon into custody and registered a case of abetment to suicide and cyber fraud based on the preliminary findings.
