In 2024, residents of Karnataka have been defrauded of ₹109.01 crore by way of elaborate digital arrest scams, the place criminals impersonate authorities officers to extract cash.
Karnataka police arrested 27 people related to those operations, although not one of the accused from Bengaluru instances have been caught thus far.
These figures had been disclosed by Residence Minister G Parameshwara on December 12 throughout a session of the Karnataka Legislative Council, PTI reported. Regardless of efforts, police have managed to get well solely ₹9.45 crore—lower than 10 per cent of the whole losses.
Addressing a query raised by BJP MLC Okay Prathap Simha Nayak, the minister revealed that the state recorded 641 instances of those scams this yr. Bengaluru topped the record with 480 incidents—practically three-fourths of the whole. Mysuru reported 24 instances, whereas Mangaluru logged 21.
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Karnataka police arrested 27 people related to those operations, although not one of the accused from Bengaluru instances have been caught thus far. Investigations additionally led to the shutdown of over 700 social media platforms utilized by scammers to lure victims. These included 268 Fb teams, 465 Telegram channels, 15 Instagram accounts, and 61 WhatsApp teams.
The modus operandi entails fraudsters pretending to be representatives from businesses just like the Reserve Financial institution of India (RBI), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), or regulation enforcement our bodies. Some even impersonate judges and stage pretend courtroom proceedings to strain their targets. By instilling concern of authorized motion, surveillance, or imprisonment, they coerce victims into parting with their cash.
The prevalence of such scams highlights the pressing want for public consciousness and stronger cybercrime enforcement in Karnataka to curb this rising menace.
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Lately, a Mysuru youth alleged that fraudsters tricked him into taking a ₹4.7 lakh mortgage and held him underneath “digital arrest” for twenty-four hours.
The sufferer filed a grievance with the Cybercrime, Financial Offences, and Narcotics (CEN) police station, alleging psychological harassment because the monetary firm calls for EMI funds for a mortgage he by no means knowingly availed.
(With PTI inputs)