Digital Arrests and Fake Cops Fuel India’s Cyber Fraud Crisis

Cyber fraud in India is no longer just about money. It is fast becoming a form of digital terror, targeting victims psychologically before financial damage occurs. 

Criminals now impersonate police officers, investigation agencies, and even judges, using intimidation, fear, and staged authority to control victims.
 
So-called “digital arrests”, courtroom-style video calls, and fake legal threats are being used to isolate victims and extract crores of rupees. 
 
Cybercrime has evolved into organised psychological operations rather than isolated cheating incidents.
 
Victims are mentally cornered, monitored through constant video calls, and made to believe arrest or prosecution is inevitable.
 
In Kanpur, a dialysis patient was reportedly kept under a “digital arrest” for 70 days, facing continuous threats and surveillance.

In Punjab’s Patiala, former IPS officer Amar Singh Chahal was allegedly defrauded of over ₹8 crore, leading to severe mental distress.
 
In Patna, fraudsters posed as CBI officers and judges, using fake courtrooms, official insignia, and legal jargon to extort money.
 
Chandigarh has also reported multiple cases involving losses exceeding ₹1 crore, driven by spoofed calls and forged documents.
 
Law enforcement admits cybercrime networks—often inter-state and international—move faster than investigations, with crypto routes and mule accounts enabling stolen funds to vanish within minutes.