MHA Forms a High-Level Committee to Examine the Digital Arrest Scam and Guarantee Prompt Action

A high-level committee has been formed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to address the growing number of digital arrest frauds and other cyber fraud events. This committee has been tasked with acting quickly and forcefully against the offenders involved, and it is directly overseen by the Internal Security Secretary of the Home Ministry.

Police departments in every state and union territory have received information on the new committee and the crucial actions being taken by the Ministry's Cybercrime Coordination Centre, or I4C, as part of the national initiative.

More than 6,000 complaints about digital arrests have reportedly been made so far this year. I4C has responded by blocking six lakh cellphone numbers associated with the fraud, which falsely accuses people of being involved in fictitious money laundering and drug trafficking cases. At least 709 mobile applications that the Center believes are involved in similar scams have also been disabled. 3.25 lakh phony bank accounts that were used in different cyber fraud schemes have also been frozen by authorities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently addressed the matter during his "Mann ki Baat" broadcast, given the sharp rise of digital arrest frauds nationwide. He stressed that there is no legal justification for a "digital arrest" and asked people to be on the lookout for suspicious activity, telling them to "stop, think, and take action."