Digital Arrest' For IT Worker In Telangana Raises Legal Concerns

With police assistance, a 44-year-old IT worker who was put under "digital arrest" by con artists was able to flee without suffering any financial losses. According to PTI, the worker was placed under "digital arrest" for about thirty hours in connection with a fictitious money laundering case.
The incident took place early on October 26 and continued till October 27. Using an instant messaging service, the scammers called and recorded him while posing as the Mumbai Police. According to the article, which cited police officials, the scammers had told the victim not to end the connection.
They demanded ₹40 lakh to withdraw it and threatened to arrest him in connection with a money laundering case.

The victim didn't notify the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police Station till the scammers' contact was dropped early on October 27. He was told about the fraud by the police.

The victim was notified via text message on the evening of October 25 that his Aadhaar number and mobile number were connected to a money laundering case that had been filed in Mumbai. Nevertheless, he ignored these communications.

The scammers pretended to be Mumbai Police and called him via voice and video on October 26 at three in the morning. As part of the verification process, they instructed him to remain on the phone until they requested him to disconnect. They also told him not to discuss this incident with anybody else, including his family.

According to the complaint, he then proceeded to a room in his home.

In addition, the scammers sent him fictitious court petitions, arrest warrants, and FIRs, which alarmed him. Additionally, they assured him that after he paid the requested sum, his name will be removed from the lawsuit.

In response to a question concerning his bank accounts, he said that he has ₹25 lakh in savings and FD accounts. It further stated that the scammers threatened to relocate to a hotel after obtaining the bank account details, accusing him of being picked up from his home by the police.
The victim then drove 15 kilometres to the Ameerpet area and checked into a motel. According to the claim, the scammers prevented him from hanging up the phone while operating a motor vehicle. To be released, they requested that he pay via RTGS.

The victim contacted Cyber Crime Police when the fraudulent call was disconnected at 4 a.m. on October 27. To prevent the victim from taking any drastic measures, the police chatted with him for an hour and asked him to block the fraudulent number.

However, according to the article, the victim did not file a complaint because he did not lose any money.
The Indian cyber-security organisation CERT released a list of over a dozen methods, including "digital arrest," that scammers in the nation use to carry out online crimes.