‘Digital Arrest’ Becoming a Symbol of Fear  

'Digital Arrest' is increasingly becoming a symbol of fear. This scam, operated through countries like Thailand, Hong Kong, and Laos, has defrauded Indian citizens of enormous sums of money. Over the past 10 months, this type of fraud has resulted in losses amounting to approximately ₹2,140 crore for Indians. According to an NDTV report, a recent victim of such fraud is a 26-year-old woman from Mumbai.  

As per the complaint, the scammers forced her to remove her clothes on a video call and extorted nearly ₹2 lakh from her. According to the FIR, on the night of November 19, the woman, who works at a pharmaceutical company, received a phone call. The caller identified himself as a Delhi Police officer and alleged that she was involved in a financial fraud case linked to businessman Naresh Goyal. She was subsequently threatened with arrest through calls from multiple numbers.  

Under the scammers' instructions, she was forced to book a hotel room, where a staged "virtual hearing" was conducted. Under the pretext of verifying her bank account, approximately ₹2 lakh was siphoned from her account. Additionally, using the excuse of "body verification," the scammers humiliated her by compelling her to remove her clothes on a video call. The woman filed a police complaint on November 28, and an FIR has been registered under multiple sections. Efforts are underway to identify the accused.