BENGALURU: Cyber criminals have swindled a whopping Rs 306 crore over the last three years in Bengaluru in the name of digital arrest scams. In 2024, Rs 132 crore was lost in 936 cases, while in the following year, Rs 111 crore was lost to digital arrest scams in 212 cases. In 2026, Rs 61 crore was looted in 69 cases.
Out of the 306 crores, the police have got Rs 97.75 crore frozen in bank accounts while Rs 21.33 crore was recovered and Rs 12.44 crore returned to those who lost it. From 2024, a total of 1,222 cases were registered in connection with digital arrest and 58 people have been arrested so far.
Residents of Bengaluru are the highest number falling into the digital arrest trap and the educated including the elderly nd techies are mostly the target of cyber criminals in the name of ED, CBI, police, income tax and drugs. The scammers make video calls on WhatsApp and Telegram to blackmail the victims.
This year, awareness campaigns by the police and messages helped bring down the number of digital arrest cases. Compared to the last three years, the number of such cases has slightly decreased this year.
