As thousands of online fraud cases are reported every year, awareness campaigns are warning people about so called ‘digital arrest’ scams. This term has no legal meaning, yet thousands have been coerced into transferring money after being threatened with concocted legal action.
The Mumbai Police are running an awareness campaign in housing societies, specifically warning senior citizens about this fraud. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is sending out SMS alerts that state, “Threatened with Digital Arrest? There is nothing like Digital Arrest in law… Call 1930 for help.” Additionally, a major bank has launched a campaign called ‘Vigil Aunty’ to “promote freedom from fraud”.
Data from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, cited in the Home Ministry’s reply to the Upper House of Parliament, shows a sharp increase in cases. A massive 2.268 million cases of cyber fraud were reported in 2024, which is an increase of over 120 per cent from the 1.029 million cases reported in 2022.
Losses from cybercrimes, which include other incidents besides fraud, also increased substantially, rising more than 21 fold from $Rs$ 91.14 crore to $Rs$ 1,935.51 crore. In just the first two months of 2025, the authorities registered 17,718 cybercrime cases involving losses of $Rs$ 210.21 crore. From 2022 to February 2025, the portal recorded 241,000 incidents and losses worth $Rs$ 2,575.89 crore.
Fraudsters typically start with an audio or video call, posing as officials from the police, Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate or the RBI. Victims, often senior citizens, are told their name is linked to a crime or a suspicious parcel. Multiple impostors may join the call, flashing fake documents or fabricated legal orders. They instruct the victim to keep their phone camera switched on, claiming to place them under “digital custody”, and pressure them to transfer money to so called “safe” accounts.
However, a statement by the Home Ministry in March made it clear that arrests require physical custody under the Code of Criminal Procedure. Digital arrest does not exist.
Government Response
The Ministry confirmed that the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has taken down numerous digital accounts linked to these frauds, including 3,962 Skype IDs, 83,668 WhatsApp accounts, 781,000 SIM cards, and 208,000 IMEIs.
Financial safeguards are improving too. Through the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting System, authorities have saved $Rs$ 4,386 crore across 13.36 lakh complaints, including those linked to ‘digital arrest’.
What You Should Do
- Disconnect immediately if you receive such a call.
- Do not share personal or banking details.
- Do not keep the camera on for unknown callers.
- Report immediately on 1930 or the cybercrime.gov.in portal.
With police forces, the RBI and the Home Ministry intensifying awareness campaigns, officials hope more citizens, especially seniors, will learn to recognise the red flags before panic sets in.
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