Digital Arrests: A New Form of Cyber Fraud in India

• Over 92,000 Indians have been affected by ‘digital arrests’, a form of cyber fraud where criminals pose as law enforcement officials and extract money through online transfers.

• Ruchi Garg, a stay-at-home mother, was targeted by a scam in August, asking to pay ₹80,000 to save her son’s reputation.

• From January 1 to November 15, 2023, 92,323 ‘digital arrests’ have been reported across the country, with people collectively being cheated of ₹2,140.99 crore.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned against the new cybercrime, describing the experiences of Garg and others like her.

• Cybercrimes witnessed an increase of 113% from 2021 to 2022 and 60% from 2022 to 2023.

• A case study of cybercrime in India includes a man in Delhi, a physician in Lucknow, and five persons from Gurugram, Haryana.

• The International Cybercrime Centre (I4C) has identified’scam compounds’ in Asian countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Azerbaijan.

• Over seven lakh mule bank accounts have been blocked over the past year.

• The defrauded money may be used for terror financing and money laundering, often pushed out of the country in the form of cryptocurrencies.

• The Indian Information and Communications Commission (I4C) provides real-time alerts to banks and payment wallets after financial fraud reports.