Mumbai police launch ‘digital arrest’ awareness drive for senior citizens

Mumbai, Nov 1 (PTI) The Mumbai police have rolled out an awareness campaign to educate and protect senior citizens from ‘digital arrest’ scams, which have become a major challenge for law-enforcers, officials said on Saturday.

The initiative, which involves door-to-door visits, aims to send out the message that no law permits ‘digital arrest’ and government agencies do not demand money or video calls from citizens, they said.

Over the last couple of years, there has been a sharp rise in cybercrime, and most cases are related to financial fraud targeting senior citizens, an official said.

Since January this year, Mumbai has recorded 128 cases of ‘digital arrest’ fraud cases in which the victims collectively lost Rs 101 crore. In most incidents, cyber fraudsters posed as senior cops and told the victims that their names had cropped up in money-laundering cases.

In many cases, senior citizens were made to stay on video calls for hours or even days. The victims were told they had been virtually arrested, while fake court proceedings were held online, the official said.

After scaring the victims, the scammers tricked them into transferring money to various accounts under the pretext of “verification” or “investigation”, he said.

In response to this growing menace, the city police’s cyber crime branch recently launched an awareness campaign, which started from Zone-9 (western suburbs), he said.

The Mumbai police have reached out to 847 senior citizens through door-to-door visits conducted by nearly 100 cops, including senior officials, from five regional cyber police stations, he said.

The team distributed pamphlets in Marathi and English, offering practical guidance on identifying suspicious calls and staying safe online, he said.

During these interactive sessions, officers explained that no law permits ‘digital arrest’ and that neither the police, CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation), ED (Enforcement Directorate), RBI (Reserve Bank of India), nor any other agency demands money or video calls from citizens, the official said.

A 72-year-old businessman from the city recently lost Rs 58 crore in a digital arrest scam, Mumbai police had said last month.

In another case, A retired banker and his wife were made to stay on a video call for three days by fraudsters posing as policemen, who also tricked the couple into transferring Rs 50.5 lakh.

Elderly residents were also asked to contact the Cyber Crime Helpline 1930 if they received fraudulent calls.

The official said the elderly community has appreciated the initiative. “Mumbai police are committed to protecting every citizen from emerging cyber threats through sustained awareness and community participation,” he said.

The campaign is being conducted under the supervision of Commissioner of Police Deven Bharati, Joint Commissioner (Crime) Lakhmi Gautam, Deputy Commissioner (Cyber Crime) Purushottam Karad, and his team, he added. PTI DC NR