'Digital Arrest' Scam Duped Nearly 3 Lakh Indians, Cost Rs 4,057 Crore Since 2022 | Exclusive
'Digital Arrest' Scam Duped Nearly 3 Lakh Indians, Cost Rs 4,057 Crore Since 2022 | Exclusive Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 06, 2026
'Digital Arrest' Scam Duped Nearly 3 Lakh Indians, Cost Rs 4,057 Crore Since 2022 | Exclusive Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 06, 2026, 10:07 IST Investigators have traced several such operations to organised scam centres based in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos Rapid Read Senior citizens are the most frequent targets and victims are pushed into making large RTGS transfers. (AI-Generated Image) India’s ‘digital arrest’ scam has become one of the country’s most damaging cyber frauds, with government data reviewed by News18 showing 2,97,727 complaints and losses of Rs 4,057.7 crore between 2022 and May 2026. The scam involves fraudsters impersonating police officers or officials from central agencies to intimidate victims into transferring money.
While both the number of cases and the amount lost have grown sharply over the years, the past year has shown a slight decline. According to the data, complaints rose from 39,925 in 2022 to a peak of 1,23,672 in 2024, when losses reached Rs 1,935.5 crore. In just the first five months of 2026, 15,215 complaints were filed, accounting for Rs 481.1 crore in losses. Elderly Victims Recently, an elderly NRI doctor couple from Delhi reportedly lost Rs 14.84 crore after being held under a fake “digital arrest" through continuous video calls. Posing as law enforcement officials, the scammers accused the couple of money laundering and pressured them into transferring their life savings over several days before the fraud came to light.
Common Patterns Government agencies say the scams typically follow a similar pattern. Senior citizens are the most frequent targets, and victims are pushed into making large RTGS transfers. Fraudsters use WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram video calls to keep victims under psychological pressure. Investigators have traced several such operations to organised scam centres based in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. Cybercrime officials continue to stress that there is no legal provision for a ‘digital arrest’ in India and anyone claiming to be from the police, CBI, ED, or RBI and demanding money over a phone or video call is committing fraud. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Ankur Sharma Associate Editor With more than 17 years in journalism, Ankur Sharma is an Associate Editor specializing in internal security and strategic affairs.
He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, paramilitary forces, and cen... Read More First Published: July 06, 2026, 10:07 IST News india 'Digital Arrest' Scam Duped Nearly 3 Lakh Indians, Cost Rs 4,057 Crore Since 2022 | Exclusive Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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