By Ashwani Mishra, Editor-Technology, 63SATS Cybertech
On April 1, Archana Khare, a retired teacher from Vaishali, received a call that would plunge her into a nightmare lasting 28 days.
The voice on the other end claimed to be an official from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), accusing her of misusing her mobile number.
What followed was a carefully orchestrated psychological assault: the call was transferred to individuals impersonating Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers. They accused her of being involved in hawala transactions, claimed that 100 bank accounts had been opened in her name using her Aadhaar, and warned her that she was under formal investigation.
Over nearly a month, Archana was digitally isolated and mentally terrorized, held captive not in a physical cell but in a virtual prison engineered by cybercriminals.
This chilling episode is not an outlier.
In Pune, a 23-year-old MBA student fell prey to a similar digital trap. The fraudsters, again impersonating CBI officials, accused him of using his Aadhaar in 50 criminal cases and threatened to arrest both him and his father. The emotional manipulation and fear-based coercion worked: he ended up transferring ₹43 lakh before registering a complaint with the Baner police.
In yet another case, an elderly woman from Pune’s Sinhagad Road lost ₹1.38 lakh to fraudsters pretending to be bank officials. They warned her that her account would be deactivated unless she immediately updated her KYC details — a ploy that led her to unknowingly hand over access to her bank account.
These cases point to a deeply disturbing trend: the rise of “digital arrests,” a new generation of cybercrimes where impersonation of authority figures is used to trap, scare, and extort citizens. They are part of a much larger, rapidly growing cybercrime ecosystem in India.
Trapped by Fear: India’s Silent Cybercrime Epidemic
According to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the first nine months of 2024 saw cyber frauds amounting to ₹11,333 crore. Experts believe this figure is conservative, and losses could surpass ₹1.2 lakh crore in 2025 — nearly 0.7% of India’s GDP. The psychological impact on victims, however, is unquantifiable.
This form of digital deception is alarmingly sophisticated. The impersonators leverage Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls, spoofed caller IDs, fake digital documents, and even video calls with individuals in uniforms to simulate authenticity. These scams are not run by amateurs — they are executed by coordinated networks, often operating across international borders with call centers running sophisticated playbooks designed to manipulate, coerce, and extort.
Recognizing the threat, Indian authorities have stepped up their response. As of February 28, 2025, over 7.81 lakh SIM cards have been blocked for their involvement in digital fraud. Similarly, more than 2.08 lakh mobile device IMEIs — the unique identity number of mobile handsets — have been deactivated to prevent their reuse in cybercrime.
The crackdown has also extended to digital platforms. The I4C has blocked 3,962 Skype IDs and 83,668 WhatsApp accounts linked to scams, particularly the now-notorious “digital arrest” frauds. In many of these cases, fraudsters instructed victims not to disclose conversations, made them stay on calls for hours or even days, and coerced them into transferring money, fearing arrest or reputational ruin.
In response, the Ministry of Home Affairs launched the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System in 2021. This portal facilitates real-time reporting of financial frauds and allows banks and law enforcement agencies to intercept stolen funds. The system has recovered ₹4,386 crore across more than 13.36 lakh complaints — a testament to its impact, but also a reminder of the volume of cybercrimes occurring daily.
Complementing this initiative is the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (https://cybercrime.gov.in), designed to handle a broader spectrum of digital offences, including those targeting women and children. For immediate help, victims can also dial 1930, a toll-free cybercrime helpline.
Despite these efforts, the ground reality remains grim. Most victims, especially the elderly and digitally untrained, often don’t realize they’re being conned until it’s too late. Shame, fear, and lack of awareness often prevent timely reporting, further emboldening fraudsters.
India is not alone in facing this crisis, but its sheer scale — over a billion mobile users and rapidly growing digital adoption — makes it especially vulnerable. As digital services penetrate deeper into every aspect of Indian life, from banking to healthcare to education, the attack surface for cybercriminals continues to expand.
As India races ahead in its digital transformation journey, it must also protect its citizens from the hidden dangers that come with it. In the fight against cybercrime, awareness is not just the first line of defense — it may be the only one.
