Noida family digitally arrested for five days, loses Rs 1 crore to cyber criminals
Digital arrests are made by cybercriminals posing as law enforcement agency officials, like CBI or customs officials, who threaten unsuspecting victims by claiming that drugs or other illegal materials were shipped using their Aadhaar number.
Even as the government and various security agencies continue to warn people against falling for digital arrest scams, a family in Noida has claimed that they have been duped by cyber fraudsters pretending to be law enforcement officials. Chandrabhan Paliwal, a resident of Noida, alleged that he, his wife, and his daughter were placed under 'digital arrest' for five days.
Family digitally arrested for five days
According to Paliwal, it all began on February 1, when he received a call from an unknown number asking him to contact the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and threatening to block his SIM card.
CREDIT: ISTOCK
The caller claimed that the Cyber Crime Branch of Mumbai had registered cases against him.
About 10 minutes later, a person claiming to be an IPS officer made a 'video call' to Paliwal from Mumbai's Kolaba Police Station.
The IPS officer claimed that Paliwal was involved in extortion and that 24 cases were registered against him at different locations. The caller also said that the CBI was investigating the matter of money laundering.
According to Paliwal, the family was kept under digital arrest for five days, and only after he had paid Rs 1.10 crore were they 'released'.
Based on the family's complaint, a case has been registered, and an investigation is underway.
CREDIT: UNSPLASH
What is digital arrest?
'Digital arrest' is a new type of cyber fraud that has become rampant in recent times. Digital arrests are made by cybercriminals posing as law enforcement agency officials, like CBI or customs officials, who threaten unsuspecting victims by claiming that drugs or other illegal materials were shipped using their Aadhaar number.
The victims are then 'interrogated' by 'senior officials', and their statements are recorded digitally. As part of the investigation, to check their digital transactions, the cybercriminals also force the victims to hand over their bank details and use them to drain their accounts.
Is digital arrest legal?
As such scams have become rampant, various agencies have repeatedly warned citizens that there is no such thing as a digital arrest under Indian law.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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