India
oi-Madhuri Adnal
The
Ministry
of
Home
Affairs
has
intensified
its
nationwide
crackdown
on
cyber
fraud
networks
after
a
sharp
rise
in
so-called
“digital
arrest” scams
that
have
trapped
senior
citizens
across
major
Indian
cities,
leading
to
massive
financial
losses
running
into
crores.
According
to
officials,
fraudsters
are
impersonating
agencies
such
as
the
Delhi
Police,
CBI
and
TRAI,
using
video
calls,
fake
uniforms
and
official-looking
backgrounds
to
create
fear
and
force
victims
into
isolation.
This
is
followed
by
coercing
victims
into
transferring
their
hard-earned
money
to
accounts
controlled
by
the
fraudsters’
network,
while
falsely
claiming
that
the
accounts
belong
to
the
RBI
or
some
other
legitimate
agency.
The
MHA
has
directed
state
police
and
cybercrime
units
to
treat
digital
arrest
cases
as
organised
financial
crimes
and
to
accelerate
investigations
and
money-tracing
efforts.
The
Ministry
of
Home
Affairs
is
cracking
down
on
cyber
fraud
networks,
especially
digital
arrest
scams
targeting
senior
citizens,
involving
impersonation
of
agencies
such
as
Delhi
Police
and
CBI
to
coerce
victims
into
transferring
money,
with
cases
reported
from
Gwalior
and
South
Delhi
involving
significant
financial
losses.
The
MHA
has
directed
state
police
to
treat
these
as
organized
financial
crimes,
and
urged
citizens
to
verify
calls,
avoid
sharing
details,
and
report
suspicious
activity
to
www.cybercrime.gov.in.
One
such
case
was
reported
from
Gwalior,
where
a
75-year-old
retired
government
officer
was
kept
under
a
fake
digital
arrest
for
nearly
a
month
and
cheated
of
Rs
1.12
crore.
The
victim
was
initially
warned
that
his
Aadhaar-linked
mobile
number
would
be
blocked
and
was
later
told
he
was
under
investigation
for
money
laundering.
Posing
as
senior
police
and
CBI
officials,
the
fraudsters
convinced
him
to
liquidate
mutual
fund
investments
and
transfer
funds
for
so-called
verification.
A
similar
but
larger
case
emerged
from
south
Delhi,
where
an
elderly
doctor
couple
was
allegedly
confined
to
their
home
for
over
two
weeks
and
forced
to
transfer
close
to
Rs
15
crore.
The
fraudsters,
posing
as
TRAI
and
police
officials,
claimed
the
couple
was
linked
to
black
money
transactions
and
used
repeated
video
calls,
legal
threats
and
fake
documents
to
maintain
pressure
until
the
fraud
was
uncovered
at
a
local
police
station.
The
MHA
has
warned
that
no
law
enforcement
agency
interrogates
citizens
through
phone
call
or
video
call
or
seeks
money-transfers
for
investigation
purposes.
Officials
stressed
that
government
agencies
do
not
conduct
inquiries
through
WhatsApp
or
demand
financial
verification
through
RTGS
or
similar
channels.
I4C-MHA
has
also
directed
banks
to
Check
remain
vigilant
and
ensure
that,
particularly
in
the
case
of
senior
citizens,
any
large
RTGS
transfers
from
savings
accounts
are
made
only
after
proper
verification.
Citizens
have
been
urged
to
verify
any
such
calls
with
local
police,
avoid
sharing
personal
or
banking
details,
and
immediately
report
suspicious
communication
to
the
national
cybercrime
“and
Report
suspect” section
on
www.cybercrime.gov.in.
The
Home
Ministry
said
enhanced
coordination
with
banks,
telecom
firms
and
cybercrime
units
is
underway
to
dismantle
these
fraud
networks
and
prevent
further
cases.
