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'FedEx says your parcel has drugs': The scam that trapped comedian Ankita Shrivastav

BBC News · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · · 1074 words · By Cherylann Mollan
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What to know about 'FedEx says your parcel has drugs': The scam that trapped comedian Ankita Shrivastav

'FedEx says your parcel has drugs': The scam that trapped an Indian comedian "Hello ma'am, I'm calling from FedEx.

Claims checked 10
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

'FedEx says your parcel has drugs': The scam that trapped an Indian comedian "Hello ma'am, I'm calling from FedEx.

Why it matters

We've been alerted by police that a courier you sent to Iraq contains drugs." This is what a man on the other end of the phone told Ankita Shrivastav, a stand-up comedian based in Mumbai city, one afternoon in October 2024.

Common ground

What followed was one of the most harrowing experiences of her life, Shrivastav says, but she never spoke about it publicly until this April, when she performed a comedy sketch based on the experience.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cevp1lvzd8ko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 5
help Insufficient Evidence 3
check_circle Corroborated 1
cancel Disputed 1
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Claim 1: “According to the latest NCRB report, by the end of 2024 around 100,000 cybercrime cases were pending investigation and about 75,000 were yet to be tried in court.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm the figures: the 'FedEx' article mentions 100,000 pending and 75,000 awaiting trial, and The Times of India reports 'About 75,000 cases were pending trial before courts at the start of 2024' and 'Nearly 1.2 lakh cases... pending investigation'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — According to the latest NCRB report, by the end of 2024 around 100,000 cybercrime cases were pending investigation and about 75,000 were yet to be tried in court.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cevp1lvzd8ko
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nearly 1.2 lakh cases, or 61.6%, were pending investigation with agencies.About 75,000 cases were pending trial before courts at the start of 2024, and investigating agencies sent more than 25,000 new…
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/cybercrime-cases-u…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Kathmandu – Nepal’s Cyber Bureau recorded 18,926 cybercrime cases in fiscal year 2024-25, averaging around 52 cases daily. Although slightly lower than last year’s 19,730, officials warn the dip may r…
https://meatechwatch.com/2025/07/24/nepal-registers-nearly-1…
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Claim 2: “Indians losing more than 220bn rupees to digital fraud.”
DISPUTED
Different sources provide wildly different figures: one source mentions 'more than 200bn rupees' in 2024, another mentions '220bn rupees' in the same context, and a third (Daily Mirror) claims '$25bn' (approx 2.1 trillion rupees) in 2025. The figures are inconsistent.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Indian Premier League, also known as IPL 19 and branded as TATA IPL 2026, is the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League, a professional Twenty20 cricket league. The tournament features 10 …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Indian_Premier_League
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Year 220 (CCXX) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Antonius and Eutychianus (or, less frequently, year 973 Ab urbe …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/220
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a men's Twenty20 (T20) cricket league, organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the national governing body of cricket in India. T20 cricket is a shor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_Premier_League_…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 3: “Shrivastav approved transactions worth 900,000 rupees ($9,300; £6,700) at the behest of the so-called policemen.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific amount of 900,000 rupees lost by Ankita Shrivastav is not found in the provided evidence snippets; the evidence mentions general losses to digital scams but does not corroborate the specific figure for this individual.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Life's Good is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language drama film produced by Anand Shukla under his banner EktAnand Pictures, and directed by Anant Mahadevan. The film stars Jackie Shroff, Rajit Kapur, Mohan Ka…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life's_Good_(film)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Madness Macheyenge - India Ko Hasayenge (transl. Will Create Madness - Will Make India Laugh) is an Indian comedy show on Sony TV. It premiered on 9 March 2024 to 6 July 2024. It stars Huma Qureshi, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madness_Machayenge_–_India_Ko_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Welcome is an Indian comedy film series, produced by Firoz Nadiadwala and directed by Anees Bazmee. The first film Welcome was released on 21 December 2007 and the second film, Welcome Back, was relea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_(film_series)
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 4: “According to government data, over 86% of households are now connected to the internet.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the 86% internet connectivity statistic for households.
info
Claim 5: “In 2020, the federal government launched the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C).”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results for 'India' and 'Indian Motorcycle' are irrelevant. No evidence was provided that confirms the launch date of the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — India, officially the Republic of India, [j][20] is a country in South Asia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle is an American brand of motorcycles manufactured in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Designed to embody Indian Motorcycles reputation for innovation, performance and style without…
https://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Cycle Trader has 7,718 listings to help you find the best deal on a Indian Motorcycles
https://www.cycletrader.com/Indian/motorcycles-for-sale?make…
info
Claim 6: “According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, for the year 2023-2024, there was a nearly 18% increase in cybercrimes year-on-year.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The 18% increase for 2023-2024 is mentioned in the article snippet ('FedEx says your parcel has drugs...'), but other NCRB-related search results discuss different statistics (e.g., detection rates in Karnataka), meaning there is no independent corroboration of this specific percentage increase.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is an Indian government agency responsible for collecting and analyzing crime data, as defined by the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL).…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Crime_Records_Bureau
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rape is the fourth most common crime against women in India. According to the 2021 annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 31,677 rape cases were registered across the country, or a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_in_India
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Suicide is a major national public health issue in India. 171,000 suicides were recorded in the country in 2022, registering a 4.2% increase over 2021 and a jump of 27% compared to 2018. The rate of s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_India
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 7: “India's Home Minister Amit Shah announced that I4C was collaborating with Reserve Bank Innovation Hub to use AI to detect and cull hidden mule accounts.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Amit Shah's announcement about I4C and the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub.
help
Claim 8: “The government has also launched a helpline - 1930 - and a portal to report and block cyber fraud.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the 1930 helpline or the reporting portal.
info
Claim 9: “In 2024, 101,928 cybercrimes were registered, an almost 50% increase from 2021.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results do not contain the specific number 101,928 or a 50% increase from 2021. One result mentions a decline in Delhi, and another discusses 2022 data, but none confirm the claim's specific figures.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — New Delhi, The number of registered cybercrimes in the national capital declined sharply from 685 in 2022 to 404 in 2024, according to the latest figures released by the National Crime Records Bureau …
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/bengaluru-news/bengalu…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It shows a decline of 4.5% in registration of cases compared to 2021.The crime rate registered per lakh population has declined from 445.9 in 2021 to 422.2 in 2022.This (2022) is the 70th edition of C…
https://affairscloud.com/ncrbs-crime-in-india-2022-around-58…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — What is added by this report? During 2024, the number of dengue cases reported from U.S. states and the District of Columbia increased 359% above the annual average during 2010–2023; a total of 97.2% …
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/75/wr/mm7518a1.htm
info
Claim 10: “Ankita Shrivastav, a stand-up comedian based in Mumbai city, was targeted by a scam in October 2024.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is mentioned in one specific web search result ('FedEx says your parcel has drugs': The scam that trapped comedian...), but other search results for 'Ankita Shrivastav' refer to different people (a sales manager and an actress), and no other independent news source corroborates this specific event.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ek Thi Daayan (Once there was a Dayan (witch)) is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language supernatural horror thriller film directed by Kannan Iyer, adapted from the short story Mobius Trips by Mukul Sharma. The…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ek_Thi_Daayan
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sarbjit is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language biographical drama film directed by Omung Kumar and produced by Pooja Entertainment, T-Series Films and Legend Studios Pvt. Ltd. The film stars Randeep Hooda as…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarbjit_(film)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Welcome is an Indian comedy film series, produced by Firoz Nadiadwala and directed by Anees Bazmee. The first film Welcome was released on 21 December 2007 and the second film, Welcome Back, was relea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_(film_series)
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.