Shimla residents duped in digital arrest scams; over Rs 5.9 crore extorted

A man losing Rs 38 lakh to “escape” an income tax raid, a father giving Rs 93 lakh to “save” son in a rape case — these are among the cases of digital arrest scam reported in the cyber crime police station in Shimla.

A total of 12 cases of so-called “digital arrest” were reported in the state in 2024 and 2025, and a total of Rs 5.91 crore were taken from the victims, out of which Rs 33 lakh have been recovered, Superintendent of Police (SP), State CID, Cyber Crime, Dinesh Kumar, told the PTI on Saturday.

“It was a normal call, and the caller, introducing himself as an officer, told me that an amount of Rs 6 crore has been deposited in my bank account and the income tax team is on its way to my house. I was duped of Rs 38 lakh after three days of digital arrest to resolve the issue,” said a victim, whose case was registered on July 7.

In another case, a man shelled out Rs 93 lakh to save his son from being framed in a rape case. He received a call in which the officers told him that his son was involved in a rape case and his mobile was switched off. The culprits extracted money by taking advantage of the victim’s fear, police added.

The recovery of the money is less as the victims turn to the police very late, Kumar said. He said that criminals even go to the extent of sending fake notices from the court, police or other authorities through social media.

The cyber frauds create a fake background of offices and impersonate as court, police and CBI officers by wearing uniforms during their video calls to trick victims into transferring money, he added.

Cautioning the general public, Sharma cited a few examples of digital arrest fraud and said that scammers also send fake email messages.

Another is a fake parcel case scam in which the fraudsters call and say that a suspicious or illegal package has been found with the victim’s name. They sometimes claim that a bank account opened in the victim’s name is involved in money laundering or illegal transactions.

The cybercriminals pretend to be police officers, CBI agents or cyber cell officers and appear in proper uniform in an office background, wearing ID cards and tell the victim that they are being digitally arrested, Kumar said.

The state cyber police has advised the general public not to answer calls from unknown or suspicious numbers, not to transfer money out of fear, immediately inform the local police station and report to the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 and also inform your family members about the scam.