Suspected cybercriminals reportedly placed a retired banker and his wife under “digital arrest” for five days in the Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh while posing as CBI and RBI authorities. The elderly couple was persuaded to send over Rs 1 crore to the cybercriminals. A senior physician at SGPGIMS in Lucknow lost Rs 2.81 crore in August as a result of a similar scam, and there have been allegations of similar thefts from Noida and Varanasi, among other locations in the state.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, cybercrimes have increased, including financial scams and digital arrests that are disguised as investments or job offers. During his recent “Mann ki Baat” speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also cautioned the public about these dangers.
According to subject matter experts, “digital arrest” refers to a dishonest strategy employed by cybercriminals who pretend to have the power to arrest someone using digital methods, frequently over the phone or through online contact.
Claiming to be involved in illicit activities, scammers employ threats or intimidation to trick victims into sending money or divulging personal information. They sometimes assume the identity of law enforcement or regulatory officials. This technique makes use of the victim’s panic to enable financial theft by playing on their fear and perplexity.
“I was told by the callers they were from the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and that my name had cropped up in a money-laundering and a human trafficking case, for which I would be arrested. They told me that to avoid arrest, I would be put under digital arrest while they examined my documents online,” the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute (SGPGI) of Medical Sciences doctor said in her complaint.
“I was asked not to tell anyone about it since it was a matter of national importance,” the Lucknow-based doctor said.
The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal recorded over 38.85 lakh calls between January 2022 and August 2024, with over 6.05 lakh (15.7%) coming from Uttar Pradesh, according to data from the Uttar Pradesh Police that was compiled by the non-profit Future Crime Research Foundation.
Surprisingly, 84.53 percent of these calls—or Rs 3,153 crore—were about financial wrongdoing, whereas the national total was Rs 19,860 crore.
The criminals behind these digital arrests, according to Triveni Singh, a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and cybercrimes specialist, worked from three fronts: fake call centres in Pakistan, India, and an area in south Asia that included Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos.
“In Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos, there is a disturbing trend known as cyber slavery. Gangs recruit unsuspecting individuals under the guise of offering jobs at call centres, only to coerce them into committing cybercrimes,” Singh, formerly a superintendent of police for UP Cyber Crime, noted.
These crooks usually pose as representatives of the CBI or the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and claim that the victim’s personal information is connected to illegal activities like money laundering or drug trafficking. Sometimes victims are unjustly accused of seeing pornography, which makes them comply out of fear.
Singh highlighted that neither in India nor anywhere else is there a legal foundation for digital arrests.
“If anyone threatens you with virtual arrest via Skype or any other means, consider them as fraud,” the “Cyber Singham” cautioned.
Singh noted that the majority of fraudulent calls were made via VoIP over messaging apps like WhatsApp, highlighting the difficulties encountered by law enforcement.
This makes call tracking more difficult because it takes a lot of effort and time to get data from these systems, which frequently have servers located outside of India.
Police response times are hampered by the increasing number of cybercrimes, and by the time information is obtained, the money has frequently been transferred into other accounts or turned into cryptocurrencies.
Rajesh Kumar Yadav, Superintendent of Police (UP Cyber Crime), reaffirmed the importance of raising public awareness, pointing out that although the number of financial fraud cases has increased, the number of reported instances of digital arrests has remained low, at about 10 cases overall.
With the helpline 1930 connected to UP 112, Uttar Pradesh boasts a strong contact centre system for reporting cybercrimes, enabling victims to do so promptly. According to him, the website cybercrime.gov.in makes it possible to report cyber fraud right away, guaranteeing a timely response.
Yadav also pointed to the crucial role of the victims. “The sooner you recognise a fraud and report it, the better the chances of recovering lost funds.”
He listed greed and fear as the two main reasons people fall for these types of frauds.
Greed is frequently stoked by promises of quick cash through investments or remote labour, and fear is stoked by compromised personal data.
Singh and Yadav emphasised that no valid law enforcement investigation took place via video calls or the internet.
“However, cybercriminals continuously devise new methods. Raising awareness among citizens is vital for combating these crimes,” Yadav said.
He went on to say that the Union Home Ministry ran a social media account called “Cyber Dost” to share information about new fraud strategies.
According to the senior officer, the ministry frequently held training sessions to improve the skills of cyber workers in Uttar Pradesh and other states, in collaboration with its specialised agency, I4C.
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