As PM Modi Mentions 'Digital Arrest' In Mann Ki Baat, Data Reveals Indians Lost Rs 120 Crore In January-April 2024

According to the data from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), between January and April 2024, Indians lost Rs 120.30 crore in a sophisticated fraud scheme known as “digital arrest fraud.”

The MHA, which oversees national cybercrime control through the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), brought out this data.

According to I4C’s analysis, approximately 46 per cent of reported cyber frauds during this period, amounting to a staggering Rs 1,776 crore in total losses, originated from operations based in Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. 

The National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) received 7.4 lakh complaints in the first four months of 2024, compared to 15.56 lakh complaints in 2023 and 9.66 lakh in 2022, reflecting a substantial increase in digital crime.

I4C's study categorises cyber fraud into four major types: digital arrest, trading scams, investment scams (task-based), and romance/dating scams. 

Breakdown data from January to April 2024 showed Indians incurred losses of Rs 1,420.48 crore in trading scams, Rs 222.58 crore in investment scams, and Rs 13.23 crore in romance scams, in addition to the Rs 120.30 crore lost in digital arrest frauds.

In the “digital arrest” scheme, victims receive calls from individuals impersonating law enforcement officials, claiming the target is implicated in crimes related to illegal goods, drugs, or fraudulent documents. Fraudsters then pressure victims through video calls, posing as police or enforcement officers, demanding bribes to “resolve” the matter without official charges.

I4C’s findings also reveal how these cross-border operations exploit social media to recruit Indians with false job offers, enticing them to participate in deceptive activities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his concern over the surge in “digital arrest fraud” in his Mann Ki Baat address on 27 October 2024, underscoring the growing threat of cybercrime in India.

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