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Fresh ‘Digital Arrest’ Cases Show Soaring Losses as Police Open Probes Across India

New complaints detail forged warrants and staged online hearings that pressure victims into large transfers.

Overview

  • Mumbai police registered a case after a 60-year-old businessman was kept on an overnight video call and coerced into transferring ₹53 lakh following a fake Supreme Court notice and a sham online bail hearing.
  • Pune investigators said a 62-year-old retired LIC officer lost ₹99 lakh after callers posing as a fictitious Data Protection Agency sent a forged arrest warrant carrying the name of Nirmala Sitharaman and directed transfers to mule accounts.
  • Mysuru’s cyber police received a complaint from a 66-year-old who was pushed into sending ₹1.38 crore under threats of arrest and fund freezes linked to a fabricated money-laundering probe.
  • Coimbatore police intervened after a senior couple were held on a video call for nearly two days and warned not to leave home, with scammers demanding ₹18 lakh to an “official verification” account; no money was transferred.
  • Officials and experts cite cross-border syndicates that quickly route proceeds through mule accounts and cryptocurrency, note the Supreme Court’s suo motu attention to a similar Ambala case, and urge reporting via helpline 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in and avoiding OTP sharing or remote-access apps.