Published Oct 31, 2026 | 9:55 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 31, 2026 | 9:55 AM
Cyber fraud
For most people, changing a mobile phone or bank account is a routine decision.
For Soumya, a resident of Wayanad, it has become a desperate attempt to escape an invisible intruder.
Over the past four years, she has replaced nine phones, switched SIM cards, abandoned email accounts and cut herself off from online platforms.
Yet, the alleged cyber intrusions continue, with the person behind them remaining unidentified despite repeated complaints and police intervention.
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Soumya, a Sanskrit teacher based in Sulthan Bathery, said in Mathrubhumi News that the trouble started in 2021 with a stream of disturbing telephone calls from unknown people across the country.
Although changing her number initially stopped the calls, it did not end her problems.
She subsequently began experiencing unauthorised access to her digital accounts, unexplained withdrawals from bank accounts and repeated disruptions to her mobile phones.
Some devices, she claims, were remotely reset to factory settings.
Her attempts to secure her finances and personal information have yielded little result.
She opened new bank accounts, replaced her SIM cards, created fresh email IDs and changed passwords repeatedly.
But the alleged intrusions followed her from one device and account to another.
Soumya puts her cumulative losses and related financial setbacks, including difficulties in meeting loan repayments, at nearly ₹22 lakh.
The amount directly withdrawn from her and her family’s bank accounts, however, is estimated at around ₹2.5 lakh.
At one point, she decided to abandon digital services altogether.
She deactivated biometric authentication linked to Aadhaar and remained away from cyberspace for nearly seven months.
She was also advised against using mobile numbers connected to her bank accounts.
The problem, however, appeared to extend to her family.
On May 26, ₹13,000 was allegedly withdrawn from her daughter’s Federal Bank account.
A complaint was filed, but Soumya says it brought no meaningful relief.
She resumed Aadhaar biometric authentication in September to complete a procedure related to Kudumbashree and linked her latest phone number to the system.
Worried that the alleged hacking might spread to her daughter, she changed the mobile number associated with her daughter’s Aadhaar as well.
Their concerns resurfaced on October 22, when both their mobile phones were allegedly reset and became unusable.
Even measures taken with police assistance failed to prevent another incident.
Soumya says her latest phone was configured with a new user ID and password, the details of which were not disclosed to other members of the family.
Despite these precautions, she claims the device was compromised again and money went missing from her bank account.
Investigators have reportedly traced the movement of the missing funds to two applications through Google Pay vouchers.
However, the identity of the suspected hacker, the means used to access the devices and the reason for repeatedly targeting Soumya remain unanswered.
The investigation has also involved scrutiny of her family.
Soumya has alleged that her complaints did not receive adequate attention when she approached the Cyber Crime Police Station in Kalpetta.
She claimed that officials even suggested that her children could have lost money through online gaming instead of examining the possibility of unauthorised access to her accounts.
She has now taken the matter to Wayanad District Police Chief S. Devamanohar, requesting a fresh and comprehensive investigation to trace the person responsible.
The prolonged ordeal has disrupted almost every aspect of her daily life, from managing money and repaying loans to accessing basic digital services.
What began with unwanted telephone calls has, according to her, turned into years of financial uncertainty and constant fear.
“I have virtually become a person who does not exist in the digital world,” she said in an interview to Mathrubhumi News.
Four years on, Soumya is still changing devices and trying to protect her accounts, while investigators continue to pursue the case without identifying the person behind the alleged attacks.
For her, the search for a culprit has become a struggle to get back a life that no longer feels secure, even behind a new phone or a freshly opened bank account.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
