Digital Arrest Racket Dupes Delhi Family Of Rs 8 Lakh! What Can You Do To Stay Safe?

Virtual arrests are a new but rampant scam in India that has already duped hundreds of people of their hard-earned money. In a recent case, a family in Delhi lost around Rs 8 lakh in a ‘Digital Arrest’ scam wherein fraudsters scare people into paying money under the guise of fake virtual custody. Delhi’s cyber branch, however, has busted this racket of digital arrest fraudsters who extorted Rs 8.10 lakh from a woman.

What is Digital Arrest?

This is a new cyber scam where fraudsters pose as law enforcement authorities or any other government official and accuse victims of criminal activities. They would scare the victims over video calls on messaging and video chat apps like WhatsApp, Skype, or phone calls.

The fraudsters tell victims either their digital identities, bank accounts, etc., are compromised or they are being ‘virtually arrested’ against some crime.

Their modus operandi is to scare the victim and threaten them with serious repercussions such as jail time and public humiliation if they don’t cooperate.

What happened in the Delhi case?

On March 24, a woman based in Delhi was virtually held hostage, along with her daughter and father, for 48 hours wherein the digital arrest racket extorted over Rs 8 lakh from her in exchange for removing her name from fake cases they charged on her.

The victim received a call from an unknown number claiming to be from the Telecom Department of Delhi. The scammer, using a fake SIM card, threatened the woman. Following this, she got fake WhatsApp video calls from ‘The Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) wherein callers accused her of involvement in a ‘money laundering scam’.

As per media reports, the accused even sent forged documents to the woman bearing stamps from the Supreme Court, pushing her and the family into a ‘digital arrest’ situation.

The North District Cyber police were able to trace the calls to the Zamrudpur area near East of Kailash, Greater Kailash. Following this lead, the police raided multiple locations and arrested three individuals.

What Can You Do To Stay Safe?

Outlook Money in its February 2025 issue did an in-depth story on how you can protect yourself and what to do if struck down by Digital Arrest scams. Read more on our extensive explainer on this scam here.

In an episode of his radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ aired on October 27, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also highlighted the rising cases of “digital arrests” in the country.

Buy Outlook Money March 2025 Magazine Issue on Amazon Here.

You should keep the following key things in mind to stay on top of the game:

• Official law bodies like CBI, and ED will not initiate contact with you for ‘arrests’ over WhatsApp, SMS, or any other instant messaging app

• Law bodies do not threaten their suspects with 'urgent arrests', especially on video messaging apps

• Since there is NO LAW in India that authorises digital arrests, you should hang up such calls and go to the nearest police station if needed or verify through official channels of concerned agencies

• Never share your passwords, sensitive PINs, or personal details such as digital identity cards over such threatening calls

• You can keep your digital devices up to date with strong firewalls, and antivirus, and also by keeping the phone updated

• The most important thing is to never panic. This can be your best defense against such cyber attacks.

To get additional resources and information on cybersecurity you can visit this official government website at https://www.cisa.gov/.