Bhubaneswar, 03 July (H.S.): The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police has issued a public advisory cautioning citizens against the growing threat of the Digital Arrest scam, emphasizing that there is no legal provision for digital arrest in India. The police clarified that neither the police nor any other law enforcement agency arrests individuals through video calls, phone calls, text messages, or any other digital medium. It also stated that investigating agencies never ask citizens to join any mobile application as part of an official investigation.
Advising the public to remain alert, the Commissionerate Police urged people to immediately disconnect any suspicious call claiming that they are under digital arrest or involved in a criminal case. Citizens have also been warned not to transfer money, prematurely break their Fixed Deposits (FDs) or Public Provident Fund (PPF) accounts, or share confidential information such as OTPs, PINs, passwords, or banking credentials with unknown callers under any circumstances.
The police further appealed to victims or those receiving such fraudulent calls to immediately report the incident by dialling the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 or by lodging a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at https://cybercrime.gov.in. People may also seek assistance from the Cyber Crime and Economic Offences (CC & EO) Police Stations by contacting the Bhubaneswar CC & EO Police Station at 7440006709 or the Cuttack CC & EO Police Station at 8280405695.
Reiterating the need for public vigilance, the Commissionerate Police urged citizens to verify the authenticity of any communication claiming to be from law enforcement agencies and to exercise caution to avoid falling prey to cyber fraud.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda
