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.
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.
Some online fraudsters got their target and timing horribly wrong on Sunday after they attempted to 'digitally arrest' a senior police official with an automated call over 'credit card misuse' while he was addressing a press conference in Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
Bengaluru police recovered Rs 14 lakh lost by BJP MP's wife in a cyber fraud through 'digital arrest'.
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.
The Indian government has sought explanations from WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal regarding their username features, citing serious concerns about potential impersonation and cybercrime. IT Secretary S Krishnan highlighted the risks, leading to notices being served to these platforms, with WhatsApp specifically asked to pause its rollout of the feature.
Three more persons were arrested on Sunday in connection with the violence during a protest here two days ago against the NEET paper leak, taking the total number of apprehended people to 14, the police said.
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.
Bhubaneswar police have busted a fraudulent digital escort service racket, arresting four individuals for allegedly misusing women's photographs on social media and cheating customers through online payments. The investigation, initiated by a woman's complaint, led to the seizure of digital evidence and a public advisory against such scams.
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.
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 advisory depicted the logos of social media platforms like WhatsApp and Skype to showcase that calls for such scams are made using such platforms.
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.
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.
Over 700 doctors in Telangana have collectively lost nearly Rs 30 crore to various cyber frauds since September 2024, prompting the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau to hold an awareness meeting for healthcare professionals. Business and investment frauds accounted for the largest share of losses.
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.
As per the advisory of cyber-security agency CERT-In, a digital arrest is the one in which victims receive a phone call, an e-mail or a message claiming they are under investigation for illegal activities, such as identity theft or money laundering.
A family in Noida was duped of over Rs 1 crore after they were kept under 'digital arrest' for five days by unknown people posing as government officials. The scammers threatened the family with arrest by making video calls and claiming to be investigating money laundering and other crimes. This is a new type of cyber fraud where the accused pose as law enforcement agency officials and use video calls to intimidate their victims.
Seventeen persons, including four hailing from Taiwan, were arrested by Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch for allegedly operating a nationwide 'digital arrest' racket, a Gujarat police official said on Monday.
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.
Indian journalists Anand RK and Suparna Sharma have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for their reporting on digital surveillance and cyber fraud.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Two individuals have been arrested in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, for allegedly creating a fake social media account in the name of the Palghar district collector and defrauding a local resident of Rs 50,000. Police successfully recovered the entire amount.
The Uttar Pradesh Police dismantled a sleeper cell linked to Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti, arresting four operatives in Saharanpur. The accused were involved in reconnaissance, radicalising youth, and planning subversive activities.
Pakistani authorities have arrested eleven social media activists in Punjab province for allegedly spreading provocative content against the army and inciting public unrest.
India's IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed officials to summon Meta regarding Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse material, following a BBC investigation. This action comes shortly after the government also questioned Meta about WhatsApp's planned username feature, citing concerns over increased online fraud and cybercrimes.
The CBI has arrested Ubaid Ullah, a key conspirator in a cyber crime network, from Guwahati. He is accused of illegally procuring over 10,000 SIM cards for use in cyber crimes.
Bihar Police's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested a Muzaffarpur resident for his alleged links with Pakistan-based arms smuggler Shahzad Bhatti's gang, seizing digital evidence indicating anti-India activities.
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.
Shimla police arrested a key heroin supplier in Jalalabad, Punjab, close to the India-Pakistan border. The accused, Akashdeep alias Akash, was arrested following an investigation into two Punjab residents caught with heroin in Shimla.
Police in Shimla have arrested two key interstate drug suppliers involved in chitta (adulterated heroin) trafficking from Punjab and Chandigarh. The arrests were made following investigations into two separate NDPS cases registered earlier this month.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has deactivated the digital IDs of former general secretary Champat Rai, trustee Anil Mishra, and special invitee Gopal Rao. This action follows alleged irregularities in the issuance of VIP darshan passes and an ongoing SIT probe into financial misconduct at the Ayodhya Ram Temple. The move aims to curb misuse of preferential entry passes.
Three individuals have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath, an aide to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The arrests were made by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted nationwide searches across 10 states and one Union Territory, targeting an online terror radicalisation conspiracy linked to ISIS and AQIS. The operation, which led to the seizure of digital devices, is part of an ongoing investigation into a plot to establish an Islamic state in India through violent jihad. So far, 11 individuals and one juvenile have been arrested in connection with the case.
Police in West Bengal have arrested three individuals from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath, an aide to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. The arrests follow an investigation involving digital clues and interstate links.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) clarifies that 'digital arrests' are not valid under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and advises the public to verify the authenticity of summons received.
