Digital arrest: A cyberfraud wrapped in a psychological trap; why intelligence falls prey to basic instincts

NewsIndia NewsDigital arrest: A cyberfraud wrapped in a psychological trap; why intelligence falls prey to basic instincts Digital arrest: A cyberfraud wrapped in a psychological trap; why intelligence falls prey to basic instincts Rohitashwa Ranjan / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Nov 07, 2026, 18:04 IST A government report describes cybercrime in India as having evolved from a "distant threat into a pervasive everyday reality".

NEW DELHI: Last week, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant expressed exasperation over the growing number of "digital arrest" scams, questioning how even educated people continued to fall victim to them despite repeated public awareness campaigns."What is wrong with these victims?

How are these victims being trapped like this? They can't understand this basic thing? What's the fear of arrest on mobile?" the CJI orally observed while hearing a suo motu case on digital arrests."Hit the mobile on the wall and arrest goes.

Something is wrong with people. God knows what is there. What kind of person are you in a democratic country if you think you are getting arrested on mobile?" he added.But is it really that simple?Every day, people across the country fall victim to these scams.

It often begins with an unfamiliar voice on the phone, claiming that the person has been implicated in a crime. What follows is a carefully orchestrated web of threats, intimidation and psychological manipulation, with victims drawn deeper into the trap over phone and video calls.No legal basis for digital arrest As society evolves, so does crime.

While traditional theft involved breaking into homes, cracking safes or carrying out armed robberies, the expansion of digital technology has opened up new avenues for criminals. Increasingly, fraudsters no longer need to come face to face with their victims to rob them.Digital arrest is one such sophisticated form of cyber fraud.

Criminals impersonate police officers or officials of investigative agencies, convincing unsuspecting people that they are under investigation for serious offences.<div data-pos="0" class="id-r-component iIpbx undefined Typically, the scam begins with a phone or video call in which fraudsters claim that the victim&#x27;s identity has been linked to crimes such as money laundering, drug trafficking or other illegal activities.Victims are then made to believe that they are under constant surveillance and instructed to remain on video calls for hours, sometimes even days, without contacting family members or anyone else.

To lend credibility to their claims, scammers often produce forged arrest warrants, court orders and official-looking identity documents, making the threat of legal action appear genuine.The intimidation eventually gives way to demands for money.

Victims are instructed to transfer funds to designated bank accounts for supposed verification, security clearance or to avoid arrest.But digital arrest has no legal basis. No law enforcement agency can arrest someone over a video call or demand money to prevent prosecution.

Nor do authorities issue or serve arrest warrants through video calls, WhatsApp, emails or other messaging platforms.The magnitude of digital arrests The scale of the problem is reflected in government data. According to a 2025 response in the Rajya Sabha, reported digital arrest scams and related cybercrimes in India nearly tripled between 2022 and 2024, while the amount defrauded increased more than 21-fold.Replying to a parliamentary question, minister of state for home affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar furnished data on digital arrest scams and related cybercrimes reported on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) over the three-year period.<div data-pos="0" class="id-r-component iIpbx undefined The data showed that 39,925 incidents were reported in 2022, involving a total defrauded amount of Rs 91.14 crore.

By 2024, the number of reported incidents had risen to 1,23,672, while the amount defrauded had surged to Rs 1,935.51 crore.The growing sophistication and scale of these scams have also drawn the attention of the Supreme Court.In October 2025, the court took suo motu cognizance of the issue after a senior citizen couple from Haryana approached it, alleging that fraudsters posing as investigative agency officials had cheated them of more than Rs 1 crore using forged court documents.Investigations have also brought into focus the organised networks operating behind these frauds, including syndicates based overseas.

A major challenge for investigators is tracing the money trail, with criminals using intermediary or "mule" bank accounts to receive stolen funds and rapidly transfer them across multiple accounts to evade detection.More than digital, it's psychological The persistence of these scams raises an important question: Why do some people fall for something that may appear obviously fraudulent to others?Speaking to The Times of India, clinical psychologist Yukta Sharma said phishing and cyberfraud should not be dismissed as instances of poor judgement.

Instead, they exploit ordinary human responses to fear, uncertainty, authority and the promise of rewards."Phishing is not merely a technological problem. The technology provides the medium, but the actual vulnerability being exploited is often human psychology," Sharma said, adding that even people who are intellectually well-equipped can fall prey to such traps.<div data-pos="0" class="id-r-component iIpbx undefined According to her, scammers deliberately create situations designed to provoke an immediate emotional response.

This could be fear of losing money, anxiety over possible legal consequences, excitement about a potential reward or trust in someone posing as an authority figure."When an individual is being targeted through a phishing attempt, there is often a complex interplay of emotional arousal, cognitive processing and decision-making taking place.

These attacks deliberately create situations that trigger an...