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This is an archive article published on May 9, 2024
Delhi Police flags rise in ‘digital arrest’ cases, issues warning
In Noida, another IT-based engineer was duped of Rs 3.75 lakh after being “held hostage” over a Skype call for over seven hours. “Policemen” had told her that a package under her name containing illegal drugs had been intercepted.
2 min read
According to police officers, the authorities want citizens to be updated of the new ways scammers find to swindle people of their money. A Gurgaon-based IT engineer was “interrogated” for over two hours on Skype and told to transfer Rs 7 lakh to an account by a “police officer”, who claimed that a courier under the woman’s name had been busted by the customs department. The caller also listed the woman’s Aadhaar card number, saying that it has been linked to a number of illegal activities.
In Noida, another IT-based engineer was duped of Rs 3.75 lakh after being “held hostage” over a Skype call for over seven hours. “Policemen” had told her that a package under her name containing illegal drugs had been intercepted.
In both cases, a similar modus operandi had been employed by ‘digital arrest’ scammers to dupe unsuspecting people. The Delhi High Court, too, issued a notice to a plea in January this year highlighting new-age crimes such as digital arrests.
On Wednesday, the Delhi Police issued a public service announcement on its social media page asking citizens to beware of such scams. “Some people call impersonating police personnel or officers of other agencies and say that you’re under digital arrest. We want to clarify that there are no provisions for digital arrests. Please be aware of such scams and don’t fall victim to them,” said Special CP (Crime) Shalini Singh in the video.
According to police officers, the authorities want citizens to be updated of the new ways scammers find to swindle people of their money. “The biggest giveaway to the scam is the fact that no such arrest provisions exist in the law,” said a senior officer.
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