80 cases in Mysuru city; Rs. 50 crore lost to scammers; Rs. 5 crore recovered 

Mysuru / Belagavi: Karnataka residents have fallen prey to a staggering Rs. 109.01 crore loss in 2024 due to ‘digital arrest’ scams, where fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officials to extort money. A total of 641 cases were reported across the State this year, according to data revealed by Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara during the Legislative Council session in Belagavi yesterday.

Bengaluru accounted for the majority of the cases with 480 incidents, followed by Mysuru with 24 cases and Mangaluru with 21. However, despite the scale of the fraud, Karnataka Police managed to recover only Rs. 9.45 crore, less than 10 percent of the siphoned amount. The Home Minister, responding to a query by BJP MLC K. Prathap Simha Nayak, informed that 27 accused had been arrested in connection with these scams. Notably, no arrests have been made in the cases registered in Bengaluru so far.

As part of the crackdown, Police tracked and deactivated over 700 social media accounts and groups used to lure victims. These included 268 Facebook groups, 465 Telegram, 15 Instagram accounts and 61 WhatsApp groups, Minister revealed in his written reply. The rising menace of ‘digital arrest’ scams highlights the urgent need for increased awareness and more robust cybercrime prevention measures in Karnataka.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Mysuru City Cyber Economic and Narcotics Crime (CEN) Police Station Inspector Prasannakumar revealed that over 500 cybercrime cases have been registered in city this year, with losses exceeding Rs. 50 crore.

Among these, 275 cases involve frauds such as share market scams (23 cases), job and part-time job frauds (15 cases) and over 80 ‘digital arrest’ scams. “Digital arrest cases are particularly high in Mysuru, and people must be aware of these criminal tactics that exploit fear through fake arrests and forged documents,” the Inspector said. He emphasised vigilance and prompt reporting to combat these sophisticated scams, which continue to pose a significant threat to residents.

Of the Rs. 50 crore stolen, the CEN Police have managed to recover Rs. 5 crore directly from the bank accounts of fraudsters. However, recovery efforts face significant hurdles as many perpetrators operate from foreign countries or use offshore SIM cards to deceive victims locally.

“Tracing funds becomes increasingly difficult as fraudsters quickly transfer money across multiple accounts. Victims must report the crime immediately to enable faster recovery,” Inspector Prasannakumar added.

Digital arrest scammers impersonate officials from law enforcement agencies or regulatory bodies like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

They often escalate fear by posing as judges or staging fake Court hearings. Through threats of surveillance, arrest and imprisonment, these fraudsters coerce victims into transferring large sums of money.