A 57-year-old woman in Bengaluru was allegedly defrauded of approximately Rs 32 crore in a 'digital arrest' scam. Posing as CBI officers, fraudsters coerced her into sharing financial details and making numerous bank transfers over six months.
The Supreme Court has directed the Reserve Bank of India to prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) within four weeks to deal with bank accounts linked to cyber frauds, including mule accounts. This directive is part of a broader effort to strengthen responses to cyber-enabled financial frauds, with the court also urging states and UTs to adopt and operationalise grievance redressal and money restoration modules.
The Supreme Court is considering entrusting the CBI with the investigation into digital arrest cases, citing the magnitude and pan-India spread of such crimes. The court has sought details of FIRs registered in different states and union territories and is monitoring the progress of the investigation.
A 64-year-old man from Thane, Maharashtra, was allegedly defrauded of nearly 28,000 in a digital arrest scam involving fraudulent WhatsApp calls and threats.
An 81-year-old businessman in Belagavi, Karnataka, was allegedly defrauded of over 1.5 million in a 'digital arrest scam' after fraudsters posing as CBI officials accused him of financial crimes.
An 81-year-old businessman in Belagavi, Karnataka, was allegedly defrauded of over 15 crore in a 'digital arrest scam' after fraudsters posing as CBI officials accused him of financial crimes.
The accused, who duped the woman of Rs 6.60 lakh during the ordeal between September 5 and 8, continued to send messages even after her death on September 8.
An 83-year-old Pune resident died of a heart attack after being defrauded of Rs 1.2 crore in a 'digital arrest' scam. Fraudsters posing as police and CBI personnel targeted the man and his wife, threatening them with arrest in a money laundering case.
An 81-year-old businessman in Belagavi, Karnataka, was allegedly defrauded of over Rs 15 crore in a 'digital arrest' scam. Fraudsters posing as CBI officials accused him of financial crimes and coerced him into transferring funds to a 'safe account'.
An IIT Madras study reveals that financial cybercrime victims in India are often highly educated professionals, challenging the notion that only careless or financially unaware individuals are targeted. The research highlights that digital literacy doesn't guarantee protection, as fraudsters exploit stress and emotional vulnerabilities.
The Supreme Court has restrained lower courts from releasing the accused in a digital arrest fraud case where a 72-year-old lawyer was duped of Rs 3.29 crore. The court expressed concern over the growing cybercrime and the targeting of elderly citizens.
President Droupadi Murmu addressed Indian Police Service probationers, highlighting the growing threat of 'digital arrest' scams and emphasizing the importance of ethical policing and public service.
Gujarat CID has arrested Rafiqul Alam, the alleged 'mastermind' behind 1,090 cybercrimes totalling Rs 1,071.5 crore, who was found to have links with China-based criminals and converted illicit funds into cryptocurrencies.
Targets should avoid panicking and hang up. 'Disconnecting stops the scammers from building psychological pressure.'
The CBI has registered a case and taken over the investigation of a Rs 10 crore 'digital arrest' scam in Delhi, where a retired engineer was allegedly cheated by cyber-criminals posing as courier company and police officials.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed that Rs 860-Rs 880 crore generated from an alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh during the previous Congress regime was delivered to the Pradesh Congress Committee office in Raipur. The agency filed a supplementary chargesheet against former PCC treasurer Ramgopal Agrawal and provisionally attached his properties worth Rs 9.06 crore. The ED alleges a liquor syndicate controlled the state excise department, generating over Rs 2,883 crore in illegal proceeds.
Delhi Police have arrested three individuals from Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh for allegedly providing mule bank accounts used to route over Rs 1.22 crore in proceeds from various cyber fraud schemes.
The Supreme Court has expressed serious concerns about the rise in digital fraud, particularly digital arrest scams, and has directed the central government to develop a standard operating procedure to combat these crimes.
Kanpur Police have dismantled a sophisticated cyber fraud syndicate, arresting eight individuals, including five bank officials, for facilitating mule accounts and hawala transactions worth Rs 125 crore.
Bengaluru police recovered Rs 14 lakh lost by BJP MP's wife in a cyber fraud through 'digital arrest'.
It said that when a retiree, who withdraws amounts in the range of Rs 10,000 or Rs 20,000, suddenly withdraws huge amounts, then the bank should issue an alert.
Hyderabad Police have dismantled a pan-India cyber fraud network, arresting 52 individuals across nine states in 'Operation Octopus 2.0'. The operation targeted bank officials, mule account holders, and middlemen involved in facilitating cyber frauds.
The CBI has arrested an Indian national accused of trafficking citizens to cyber scam compounds in Myanmar, where they were forced to participate in cyber fraud.
The Delhi Police returned 532 recovered lost and stolen mobile phones to their owners under 'Operation Vishwas'. The event included cyber crime and drug abuse awareness sessions.
In the month of May, the victim got a call from a person identifying himself as telecom department staffer Amit Kumar, who told her a SIM card had been bought with her personal details for use in criminal activities.
Delhi Police dismantled multiple interstate cyber fraud syndicates in a month-long operation, arresting 35 and bringing 89 offenders to justice. The syndicates were involved in various scams, including digital arrest, investment fraud, and fake dating schemes, with transactions worth nearly Rs 40 crore.
Messaging platform Telegram has submitted its reply to the IT Ministry's notice regarding its 'username' feature, which allows users to communicate without sharing phone numbers, following a similar submission by WhatsApp.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Ankit Satishchandra Pandey in connection with a transnational cyber-financial fraud case. Pandey allegedly defrauded US nationals of over USD 7 million by impersonating US federal agency officials through illegal call centres in Gujarat, coercing victims into transferring funds and purchasing gold.
WhatsApp has asserted that username reservation relating to well-known public figure names is restricted only to their legitimate account owners, and termed as "false" any claims that people are reserving popular or well-known usernames.
The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch has arrested two men from Rajasthan for allegedly defrauding people of Rs 8 lakh by selling fake garba event passes during Navratri. The accused used Instagram, forged email IDs, WhatsApp, and AI tools like ChatGPT to create authentic-looking tickets and promotional material, targeting around 40,000 people. They sold 686 bogus passes for various high-end events before being apprehended based on a complaint from a garba organiser.
Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch has uncovered a Rs 1.5 crore WhatsApp fraud, leading to the arrest of two key SIM and OTP suppliers in West Bengal. The investigation revealed a sophisticated international cybercrime network spanning China, Pakistan, India, and Hong Kong, operating a "boss scam" and utilizing a "Cybercrime as a Service" model. Police recovered a significant portion of the defrauded amount and secured thousands of devices.
The Indian government has issued a notice to Meta regarding WhatsApp's upcoming username feature, warning the platform not to roll it out until concerns about potential fraud, impersonation, and public safety are addressed to the government's satisfaction.
UPI-related frauds have accounted for a cumulative loss of Rs 2,145 crore across 2.7 million reported incidents.
India's IT Ministry has issued notices to Telegram and Signal, following a similar action against WhatsApp, questioning their username features due to concerns over increased online fraud, phishing, and impersonation. The government is seeking explanations on how these platforms address such risks, with one homegrown app already disabling the feature.
'Just like oral hygiene, cyber hygiene must become a daily habit,' says Beena Vaheed, executive director, Bank of Baroda. 'It is not enough to rely only on banks, companies, or the government. Each of us must play our part.'
Mumbai Police's 1930 cyber helpline has successfully intercepted and frozen over 101 crore defrauded from citizens in the last five months, preventing significant financial losses.
A man impersonating an aide of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been arrested in Dehradun for allegedly swindling crores of rupees from ticket-seekers in multiple states.
Two men have been arrested for allegedly cheating a 19-year-old Delhi resident of cryptocurrency worth around Rs 2 lakh after gaining unauthorised access to his crypto wallet through social media.
Assam Police have arrested a cyber fraudster suspected of involvement in multi-state digital crimes. The arrest was made by the Crime Investigation Department's Cyber Police Station, and the suspect is believed to have operated a highly active mule account.
The Haryana Police have launched 'Abhedya', a mobile application designed to curb cybercrime, extortion, and threatening calls. This initiative makes Haryana the first state in India to introduce such a measure, aiming to protect citizens from various forms of digital harassment.
