Digital Arrest Scam: Exactly What to Do 2026

Reviewed on: 2026-06-19.

The scam works like this: you get a video call from someone dressed in a uniform, sitting in front of what looks like a police control room. They claim you are under “digital arrest” for a serious crime: drug trafficking, money laundering, illegal package interception, or a fake Aadhaar-linked offence. They tell you to stay on the call, not contact anyone, and transfer money immediately or face prison.

Every single element of this is a lie.

No Indian law creates a procedure called digital arrest: not the Code of Criminal Procedure, not the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, not any special act. An arrest in law means a physical act. It requires a warrant (in most cases), a police officer physically present, and formal custody. A video call cannot constitute an arrest, a summons or any lawful compulsion whatsoever.

The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), the nodal agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has publicly identified this scheme as a fraud where criminals pose as police officers, CBI officers, anti-narcotics (NCB) officials, or RBI and customs officers in order to extort money. The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal run by I4C has issued fraud alerts noting that fake communications impersonating I4C officials, Intelligence Bureau officers and Delhi Police are entirely fabricated.

The scam is not a grey area. It is extortion, plain and simple.

Understanding the script helps you recognise and break it.

• Stage 1: The hook. You receive a call (often on WhatsApp or Skype) from someone claiming to be from courier services, customs, or telecom authorities. They say a suspicious package, SIM card or financial transaction is linked to your name.
• Stage 2: The transfer. You are told your case is “serious” and connected to money laundering or drug smuggling. The call is transferred to someone posing as a senior police officer or CBI/ED official.
• Stage 3: The isolation. You are told you are under “digital arrest.” You must stay on the video call at all times, must not speak to family or friends, and must not disconnect or you will be “formally arrested.”
• Stage 4: The demand. They demand you transfer money to a “government account” for verification, bail, or to avoid arrest. Some victims are kept on call for hours or days.
• Stage 5: The vanish. Once money is transferred, the scammers disappear and the numbers go unreachable.

The isolation instruction is the clearest red flag: no real law enforcement agency asks you to stay silent and on camera while they “investigate” you.

1. Hang up immediately. Do not follow instructions to “stay connected.” Disconnecting cannot trigger any legal consequence.
2. Do not transfer any money. Not to “bail accounts,” not to “verification accounts,” not to any account mentioned on the call.
3. Do not share OTPs, Aadhaar numbers, bank account details or screen access.
4. Tell your family. Scammers rely on isolation. Breaking the silence breaks the scam.
5. Note the number and any details. Write down the caller ID, the name and agency they claimed, the time of call, and any account numbers mentioned.
6. Report within hours. The faster you report, the higher the chance of freezing any money already transferred. Call 1930 or file online at cybercrime.gov.in.
7. If money was transferred, also read our guide on how to apply for a refund after cyber fraud. Acting within 24-48 hours gives the best outcome.

You have two channels, both managed by I4C under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Option A: Online (preferred):

1. Go to cybercrime.gov.in
2. Click “Report Cyber Crime”
3. Select “Financial Fraud” under the crime category
4. Fill in the details: caller number, amount transferred (if any), bank account used, and a description of the incident
5. You will receive a complaint acknowledgement number. Save it.

Option B: Helpline:

1. Call 1930 (the National Cyber Crime Helpline, operational 24×7)
2. Report the incident; if money was transferred, the helpline can flag the destination account for freezing

For a full walkthrough of the complaint process, see how to report cyber fraud on 1930 and cybercrime.gov.in.

After filing your complaint, you can track its progress: see how to check your cybercrime complaint status.

Report immediately. Do not wait. The cybercrime helpline 1930 and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal can flag and freeze destination accounts if the complaint is lodged quickly.

Also read:

• Applying for a cyber fraud refund - for recovering transferred funds
• OTP fraud and what banks must do - if scammers also extracted an OTP

If you are on such a call at this moment:

1. Put the phone face-down and call a family member or neighbour immediately.
2. Walk out of the room if you feel physically unsafe.
3. Call 1930 from a different phone while on the suspected call if possible.

Real law enforcement does not conduct interrogations through WhatsApp. If a genuine agency needs you, they send a written notice to your address and ask you to appear in person.

A recorded video call has no legal standing as a substitute for an arrest, summons or court appearance. Scammers sometimes record the call to intimidate you later, but that recording itself is evidence of their fraud, not of any offence by you.

Documents shown on a screen cannot be verified and are trivially forged. A genuine arrest warrant is served physically, not displayed over a video call. If you are in doubt, call your local police station directly (not on the number the caller gives you) and ask whether any case is registered against you.

No. You cannot be penalised for ending a fraudulent call. Ignoring or disconnecting a call from a scammer is not obstruction of justice.

Report to 1930 and cybercrime.gov.in immediately. Also report to your bank's 24×7 fraud helpline and ask for a transaction hold. See cyber fraud refund guide for the full process.

Change your bank login password and UPI PIN immediately. Call your bank and ask for a transaction alert review. File a report on cybercrime.gov.in so the number is flagged in the suspect database.

Real agencies contact you by registered post or by visiting you in person. They do not use personal WhatsApp, Skype or unknown numbers. You can independently verify any case by calling the agency's official number listed on its official website. Never call back on a number the caller provides.

Yes. If the original hook was a job offer or parcel delivery that turned into a digital arrest threat, you may also file under online job scam reporting for the separate offence.

File an RTI to: the State Cyber Cell and the I4C (Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre)

• What action was taken on complaint number [your acknowledgement number]?
• Has the flagged bank account been frozen and, if not, what is the reason for delay?
• How many digital arrest scam complaints were received in the last 12 months and how many led to arrests?
• What is the average time taken by the Cyber Crime Cell to freeze a flagged account after a 1930 complaint?
• What awareness campaigns has I4C conducted on digital arrest scams in the last year?

→ Use our free AI RTI Drafter to generate a complete Section 6(1) application.

• Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs - i4c.mha.gov.in (helpline 1930 confirmed; I4C press release on scammers posing as police/CBI/anti-narcotics/RBI over video call)
• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal - cybercrime.gov.in (fraud alert: fake communications impersonating I4C/IB/Delhi Police are fabricated; reporting portal confirmed)

By Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak