A “digital arrest” scam is a fraud in which criminals pose as police, CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED), customs, narcotics or telecom officials, tell you that you are under investigation, and keep you “under arrest” on a video call until you transfer money. There is no such thing as a digital arrest. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), part of the Ministry of Home Affairs, put it bluntly in an October 2024 advisory: “The CBI/Police/Custom/ED/Judges DO NOT arrest you on video call.” If a call ends in a demand for money, it is a scam.
What the scam looks like
The Ministry of Home Affairs described the pattern in a May 2024 alert. The caller says a parcel sent by you or addressed to you contains drugs, fake passports or other contraband, or that a relative has been caught in a crime or an accident and is in custody. Money is then demanded to settle the “case”. Victims are made to stay visible on Skype or another video platform until they pay. The ministry noted that the fraudsters use studios made to look like police stations and government offices, wear uniforms, and are often part of cross-border crime syndicates.
Other openings include a call claiming your mobile number will be cut off for “illegal activity”, sometimes in the name of the telecom regulator. TRAI has said it does not contact customers about disconnecting numbers, by call, message or otherwise; disconnections are done by your own telecom operator.
The typical script, step by step
Details vary, but most calls follow the same sequence. The Prime Minister set out the first three moves in his Mann Ki Baat broadcast of 27 October 2024: collect personal information, create fear, apply time pressure.
- The hook. A call, often automated, about a parcel, a SIM card, a bank account or an Aadhaar number “linked to a crime”.
- The transfer. You are put through to an “officer” who already knows your name, address or family details, which makes the call feel official.
- The video call. You are asked to join a video call. The person on screen may be in uniform, in front of a logo, and may show an “arrest warrant” or “court order”.
- Isolation. You are told the matter is confidential, that you must not tell family, and that you must keep the camera on and not leave the room. This is the “arrest”.
- The money. You are told to move your savings to a “verification” or “safe” account, or pay a “fine” or “bail”, with a promise that it will be returned once you are cleared.
- Repeat. If you pay once, there is usually another demand.
Why it works
The scam does not rely on technical tricks. It relies on fear, authority and speed. A person who believes they or a child face arrest is not in a state to check facts, and the caller’s control of the call (camera on, no hanging up, no telling anyone) removes the chance to ask someone else.
It also borrows real-looking detail: official-sounding legal sections, uniforms and paperwork. Some calls come from abroad but are disguised to show Indian numbers, which is why the government has directed telecom operators to block such spoofed international calls.
The official position
The government’s position is consistent across its statements:
- No investigative agency questions people by phone or video call, or demands money on such a call. In the Prime Minister’s words, “there is no system like digital arrest in the law”; it is a fraud.
- The I4C advisory of October 2024 says the CBI, police, customs, ED and judges do not arrest people on video calls.
- The government’s own advice is “Stop, Think, Take Action”: don’t panic, recognise that no agency behaves this way, then report.
How big the problem is
The National Crime Records Bureau does not keep separate data on digital arrest scams, the Ministry of Home Affairs told the Rajya Sabha in March 2025. The same reply said I4C had blocked more than 3,962 Skype IDs and 83,668 WhatsApp accounts used for digital arrests.
Complaint numbers come from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. According to I4C’s status report quoted by the Supreme Court in an order of 4 August 2026, digital arrest complaints fell from 1,23,672 in 2024 to 58,239 in 2025, and stood at 16,377 for the period up to 30 June 2026. The court took up the issue on its own in October 2025 and, on 1 December 2025, directed the CBI to investigate digital arrest cases across India as a first priority. Fewer complaints is progress, but tens of thousands of people are still being targeted.
Red flags
| What the caller does | What it really means |
|---|---|
| Says you are “under digital arrest” | No such procedure exists in Indian law |
| Insists on a video call and that you stay on camera | Real agencies don’t question or detain people this way |
| Tells you not to tell family or anyone else | Isolation is how the scam keeps control |
| Shows a warrant, court order or ID on screen | Documents and uniforms can be faked; this proves nothing |
| Demands a transfer to a “safe” or “verification” account | No agency asks you to move money to clear your name |
| Threatens to cut off your mobile number for “illegal activity” | TRAI doesn’t do this; operators handle disconnections |
| Pushes you to act within minutes | Time pressure is part of the script |
What to do during the call
- Hang up. You are not under arrest, and ending the call is not an offence.
- Don’t pay, share OTPs or install anything. No apps, no screen sharing. Our guide to two-factor authentication explains why a code sent to you should never be read out to anyone.
- Talk to someone you trust. Call a family member or a friend. The scam depends on you staying alone.
- Verify independently. If you are worried about a real case, contact your local police station using a number you find yourself, not one given by the caller.
- Keep evidence. Note the number, take screenshots and save messages.
What to do afterwards
- If you lost money, call 1930 at once. It is the national cybercrime helpline, linked to I4C’s Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System, which alerts banks to hold funds. The government says more than ₹8,690 crore had been saved across more than 24.65 lakh complaints by 31 January 2026.
- File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, with transaction references, account numbers and screenshots.
- Call your bank through its official app, website or the number on your card, to report the transfers and block further payments. What the bank must refund under RBI rules is covered in our explainer on how UPI frauds work.
- If you lost nothing, still report it. Use Chakshu on Sanchar Saathi to report the call or message as suspected fraud; Chakshu lists “impersonation as Government official” among its examples and asks for reports within 30 days. Sanchar Saathi also has a facility to report international calls showing an Indian number.
Chakshu is not for money already lost. For that, use 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.
The same habits protect you against other scams too: never let a caller rush you, and keep your accounts behind strong sign-in methods such as passkeys where available. For payment tricks such as fake QR codes and “refund” requests, see how UPI frauds work.
The point: No Indian police force or agency arrests anyone over a video call or asks for money to clear their name. A “digital arrest” is a script built on fear, isolation and speed, so the defence is to hang up, tell someone and verify on your own. If money has gone, call 1930 and your bank immediately, then file on cybercrime.gov.in.
Sources
- Alert against incidents of ‘Blackmail’ and ‘Digital Arrest’ by cyber criminals impersonating State/UT Police, NCB, CBI, RBI and other Law Enforcement Agencies — Ministry of Home Affairs via PIB, 14 May 2024
- CBI, ED don’t nab via video calls: advisory to curb ‘digital arrest’ — PTI via The Tribune, 7 October 2024
- PM’s address in the 115th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ — Prime Minister’s Office, 27 October 2024
- Digital arrest scam — Ministry of Home Affairs (parliamentary reply) via PIB, 10 December 2024
- Steps taken to address the issue of digital arrest scams — Ministry of Home Affairs (Rajya Sabha reply) via PIB, 12 March 2025
- Beware of fraudulent calls impersonating TRAI — Ministry of Communications via PIB, 7 April 2025
- Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4118: Cyber awareness — Ministry of Home Affairs, 17 March 2026
- Supreme Court entrusts CBI with pan-Indian probe into digital arrest cases — Business Standard, 1 December 2025
- Supreme Court directs RBI, states and banks to implement SOPs and money restoration measures to tackle “digital arrest” scams — Verdictum, 4 August 2026
- Sanchar Saathi: Chakshu — Department of Telecommunications
- National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal — I4C, Ministry of Home Affairs