Come, let us tell you today, what is digital arrest, what are the ways to identify it, and also the ways to avoid it – that is, we are presenting Digital Arrest Explainer for you.
Now such news is being seen every day, in which there is a mention of Digital Arrest. Only a few days have passed, when Vardhman Group CMD S.P. Oswal was digitally arrested and swindled of ₹ 7 crores, and this time it went too far, when a female teacher got a call that her daughter was trapped in a sex racket, and the woman died of fear. So, unfortunately cyber thugs are successfully carrying out this latest method of cheating, i.e. digital arrest, and there is no dearth of victims for them in the country with the largest population in the world. Come, let us tell you today, what is digital arrest, what are the ways to identify it, and also the ways to avoid it – that is, we are presenting Digital Arrest Explainer for you.
What is digital arrest…?
Cyber law expert and lawyer Pawan Duggal says, “Making any person a victim of any misunderstanding and putting him in fear and panic and extracting money from him using that fear, i.e. making him a victim of cyber crime is called digital arrest…”
Experts say, during digital arrest, the thugs create fear in the mind of their potential victim, and they are assured that whatever they are being told is the truth. Something bad has happened to them or any of their relatives, or is about to happen, or they have been caught in the circle of investigation of the police, CBI or ED. After this, the ‘victim’ fearfully accepts that if he does not obey the caller, then something very bad will happen, or he will really be arrested.
How to identify digital arrest…?
In cases of digital arrest, the potential victim receives a phone call in which he is told that he has been involved in a money laundering case, or a serious drug case, and if he does not obey the ‘investigating officer’ calling him, then arrest and jail sentence is only a matter of time. Some cases of digital arrest can start with a simple threat of disconnecting the internet connection, and then as soon as the ‘victim’ starts getting scared, the caller quickly changes his tactics and starts his move. The ‘victim’ is made to believe that the fraud is an investigating officer by showing him a police uniform, an environment like a police station or a CBI office (created in a studio) and even an identity card (ID card). The target is asked to keep his mobile camera and microphone on all the time and is scared by threatening him with dire consequences. He is also told not to talk to anyone about what is happening, not to tell anyone anything. When the ‘victim’ is scared enough, he starts agreeing to everything the fraud says, and then the fraud very comfortably robs him of every penny he has, which can be lakhs or even crores.
What to do to avoid digital arrest…?
According to the Union Home Ministry, many ‘victims’ have lost huge amounts of money to ‘digital arrest’ fraudsters.
According to the Home Ministry statement, “The Indian Cyber Crime Co-ordination Centre (I4C), working under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, coordinates the activities related to combating cyber crime in the country… The Home Ministry is working in collaboration with other ministries and their attached agencies, RBI and other organizations to combat such frauds… I4C is also providing inputs and technical support to the police authorities of the states and union territories for identification and investigation of fraud cases…”
The statement also said, “Citizens are advised to remain vigilant and spread awareness about such frauds… In case of receiving such calls, citizens should immediately report the incident to the cyber crime helpline number 1930 or www.cybercrime.gov.in for help…”
Police forces, including the Cyber Crime Department of Noida Police, have also emphasized the importance of verifying suspicious phones. According to the police force, efforts should be made to identify the authenticity of the callers through official websites, not just through search engines like Google or Bing, where fraudsters often post their fake numbers.
Experts say that such cases should be flagged as soon as money is demanded. After all, no legal investigation can be ended just because an accused (victim) has paid an investigating officer (fraudster). If a real investigation was being conducted, this payment would be called a bribe.
Most importantly, experts stressed that there is no provision for ‘digital arrest’ in Indian law, and no one can be forced to keep a video or microphone on all the time.
