A 32-year-old man from Delhi was duped of Rs 10 lakh by a group of fraudsters who posed as officers of the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad. The conmen “digitally arrested” him, citing his links with the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, Delhi Police said on Monday, 3rd November. The scammers convinced the victim that his name had come up during a financial investigation connected to terror funding.
The incident took place in August in central Delhi’s Karol Bagh area, where the victim lives with his family. Police said an FIR was filed in Karol Bagh police station by the Victim on 14th October, and an investigation is under way to identify and locate the culprits.
As per the FIR, the victim, received several calls from four unknown phone numbers on 13th August. The callers told him that Rs 50 lakh had been deposited in a bank account opened in his name in Kashmir, which was being used for terror-related transactions. They claimed the account was linked to his ID and mobile number and warned him not to tell anyone as “powerful people” were involved.
The fraudsters then coerced the man into joining a video call. During the call, they appeared dressed like ATS officers, complete with uniforms and badges, and even had the ATS logo visible in the background. “They told me to keep my phone camera on, lock my room, and not inform any family member,” the victim said in his statement. He was then interrogated and asked to share his bank details before being connected to someone claiming to be the ATS chief.
One of the scammers, posing as the ATS chief, threatened to book him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) if he didn’t transfer money to what they described as a Reserve Bank of India-approved account. They even sent him a fake RBI letter to make their claim believable. Terrified, the victim transferred Rs 8.9 lakh from his savings account and the rest through Paytm.
Soon after, the callers demanded another Rs 4 lakh for his so-called “bail”. When he refused, they disconnected the call. Realising he had been cheated, the victim filed a complaint through the national cybercrime portal, which was later sent to the Karol Bagh police for further investigation.
Rising digital arrest scams spark Supreme Court concern
The case adds to a growing list of victims across India who have fallen prey to the rising menace of digital arrest scams, an alarming cybercrime trend where fraudsters impersonate police officers, judges, or government officials to extort money.
On Monday, 3rd November, the Supreme Court expressed deep concern, revealing that scammers have cheated victims of over ₹3,000 crore through such digital arrests. A Bench led by Justice Surya Kant, who is the Chief Justice-designate, said the Union government’s confidential report showed that these scams have become a “very big challenge.” “The extent of fraud is much more than we thought,” Justice Kant observed during the hearing.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said the scam networks were far more organised than initially believed, operating through “scam compounds” and cross-border money laundering gangs. He warned that victims, many of whom are elderly, are being terrorised through fake police calls, forged documents, and AI-generated visuals of courtrooms and officers.
The Supreme Court, which took suo motu cognisance of the issue after a senior couple in Haryana’s Ambala lost ₹1.05 crore to such a scam, said it would soon issue strict directions to strengthen investigative agencies and protect citizens.
Justice Kant noted that the problem was not only financial but also “human in impact,” as criminals even exploit victims by offering fake jobs abroad and using technology to create false courtroom visuals to intimidate them.
