Hyderabad: As an increasing awareness amongst the population has resulted in a drastic 75 percent reduction in ‘digital arrest’ frauds in Hyderabad in 2025, police stated on Thursday, July 17.

In a press statement, the Hyderabad City Police reported that just 34 cases had been registered from January to June 2025, a substantial decline from 140 cases during the first half of 2024 and 214 cases during the second half of the previous year.

A digital arrest fraud entails cybercrooks falsely implicating a person in criminal cases like drug trafficking or money laundering, and in the process, they use fictitious arrest warrants or forged court documents to demand huge amounts of money.

Hyderabad senior citizens most vulnerable to digital arrests

Authorities said the majority of the victims are very well-educated older citizens between 60 and 80 years old, frequently retired professionals whose kids work overseas. They are psychologically manipulated using threats and kept isolated through extended video calls.

Fraudsters pretend to be officials from central organisations such as the CBI, ED, DRI, Customs, and TRAI and state that the victim’s Aadhaar number or phone number has been connected to a criminal case. Victims are compelled to liquidate fixed deposits, pawn gold, or even avail of personal loans, handing over lakhs of rupees in the face of intense psychological pressure.

Recent cases uncovered

On April 5, 2025, in one such case digital arrest fraud case from Hyderabad, a Secunderabad resident, an 84-year-old man, was cheated of Rs 44 lakh. The man was called by a man claiming to be an IPS officer, stating that he was involved in criminal activities. Tauqeeb Raza, Rahil Imam, and Ali Asad, three men from Jharkhand, were apprehended. Mobile phones, cheque books, SIM cards, memory cards, a swiping machine, and company stamps were seized by police.

In a separate case on March 29, 2025, a 69-year-old Hyderabad woman was blackmailed into remitting Rs 38.7 lakh after she was threatened by a fraudster who identified himself as from TRAI and Mumbai police while in a ‘digital arrest’. The suspect, Arbaz Pasha of Bengaluru, was taken into custody on July 9.

How the scam is conducted

The cyberfraudsters most often:

• Make contact as government or law enforcement officials
• Invent a false claim of criminal activity
• Threaten the victims with jail, arrest, and public embarrassment
• Make them remain on video calls for 2-3 hours when transferring money
• Keep them under surveillance to prevent them from calling their families or getting assistance
• Ask them to “submit money to the Supreme Court” as evidence of innocence.

Public advisory

Hyderabad police released the following safety advice:

• Do not believe unexpected callers who identify themselves as officials of CBI, ED, Police, or TRAI.
• No arrest or legal inquiry is made through video calls
• Never provide Aadhaar, bank information, or OTPs to strangers
• Do not send money under the threat of arrest or loss of job.
• Check any legal claim separately by calling the police or the concerned agency
• Save suspicious calls and keep screenshots of chat or video calls
• If cheated, call 1930 immediately or report it on their official website.

Hyderabad police attribute the fall in cases to intense public awareness campaigns and requested citizens, particularly the elderly, to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious.