Sulthan Bathery: With zero trail in bank accounts and no digital imprint, Soumya, a Wayanad resident, has led a life like a secret agent for the past four years. It's not something she wanted, but a relentless cyberattack by an unidentified hacker has upended her life.

She has changed nine mobile phones, left no money in her bank accounts, done away with email IDs and social media presence, and even deprived herself of digital services only to have a moment of peace.

Her ordeal began with unsolicited calls from strangers and has since evolved into a series of alleged cyber intrusions, financial losses, mobile phone malfunctions and repeated loss of access to her digital accounts. She took every piece of cyber advice to stay clear of trouble, but somehow the hacker found a way.

So far, she has lost substantial amounts of money from different bank accounts. In a desperate attempt to find a solution, Soumya, a Sanskrit teacher, recently approached Wayanad District Police Chief S Devamanohar, seeking his intervention to identify the person responsible for her ordeal and help her regain control of her digital life.

Living in a rented house in Sulthan Bathery, Soumya, with many mobile phones heaped on the table, told Onmanorama that she had been experiencing cyber-related problems since 2021, when she began receiving repeated telephone calls from people in different states, speaking different languages and asking for her availability. She later learnt that her mobile number had allegedly been uploaded to a pornographic website, resulting in the calls.

"The police initially dismissed my complaint, advising me to change my SIM card. Had they traced the person who uploaded my number to the pornographic website, the culprit would perhaps have been identified at that stage itself," she said. Changing her mobile number brought temporary relief, but the problems soon resurfaced in different forms.

Financial losses and repeated mobile phone failures
Soumya claims that the alleged cyber intrusions have not only affected her privacy but also caused serious financial difficulties. She said her overall financial losses due to the incidents had reached nearly ₹22 lakh, including the money lost from bank accounts and the financial setbacks caused by disruptions to her banking transactions. She also failed to repay some of her bank loans on time as her access to financial services was repeatedly disrupted. "I have virtually become a person who does not exist in the digital world," she said.

Initially, cyber experts suspected the issue may have come from within her household. Her two children — a Plus One student and a Degree student — were also questioned in connection with the incidents.

To rule out unauthorised transactions through an existing account, she opened a new bank account with Union Bank in Sulthan Bathery. However, she claimed that money went missing from the new account in February 2026 as well.

She subsequently approached the Cyber Crime Police Station in Kalpetta with a complaint. However, she alleged that the officials did not take her complaint seriously. "They even suggested that my children might be responsible for the loss of money by playing online games. But nobody seriously investigated my complaint or registered a case," she alleged in her petition to the District Police Chief.

Seven months away from cyberspace
To escape the alleged attacks, Soumya took the extreme step of disconnecting herself from digital services. She had the biometric authentication facility linked to her Aadhaar disabled and was advised to avoid using mobile numbers linked to her bank accounts.

From March to September, she remained almost completely disconnected from cyberspace. She said there were no disturbances during this period. For essential transactions, she occasionally used her daughter's mobile phone and bank account.

However, the problem allegedly extended to her daughter's account as well. On May 26, her daughter lost ₹13,000 from her Federal Bank account. Though a complaint was lodged, Soumya said it did not yield any results.

In September, Soumya was compelled to reactivate her Aadhaar biometric authentication to complete a procedure related to Kudumbashree. She also linked her latest mobile number to Aadhaar. Fearing the alleged cyber intrusions might resume, she also changed the mobile number linked to her daughter's Aadhaar.

But on October 22, both their mobile phones were allegedly reset and deactivated, leaving them without access to the devices.

Even a specially configured phone was allegedly compromised
In another attempt to establish whether the problem originated within the family, the police had reset her new mobile phone with an exclusive user ID and password, which were not disclosed to any of the family members.

However, she claimed that the same problem recurred, with the phone allegedly being compromised and money withdrawn from her bank account.

According to Soumya, whenever money disappeared from her bank account, her mobile phone would also become active again and automatically switch to reset mode, resulting in the loss of all stored data.

The latest incident allegedly occurred at the District Police Chief's office. Soumya had gone there to submit another complaint after her earlier attempts to seek help from the Cyber Crime Police Station failed to bring relief.

"My phone had been heating up since morning. While I was at the SP's office, it began making unusual sounds, and I felt a burning sensation from the device. Finally, its display got burnt out. This happened in front of police personnel," she said. Now the officials advise me to buy an iPhone. But I am not in a position to buy even an ordinary phone, Soumya said.

Wayanad District Police Chief S Devamanohar told Onmanorama that the case had been brought to his notice only recently and that a case had since been registered. "Our Cyber Cell is investigating the case. We are yet to make any headway but are collecting all possible leads. I hope the case can be cracked soon," he said.