MADURAI: A total of 350 digital arrest cases have been registered in Tamil Nadu so far this year, which is 170 cases less than the 520 registered during the corresponding period last year, said an officer in the Cyber Crime unit of Madurai police.
While the numbers have come down, the recovery rate and arrest of suspects in such cases remain low, he said, adding that a majority of victims in the cases were senior citizens as they are unfamiliar with common fraud techniques.
Citing an example, the officer said an elderly woman recently visited a bank in Madurai city to deposit Rs 26 lakh into an account in Rajasthan.
The cashier sensed something was wrong and alerted the branch manager, who questioned her about the purpose of the large transfer. She replied that the money was meant to buy construction materials from Rajasthan for her house. After this, the manager cleared the transaction.
A few days later, the woman approached Cyber Crime police stating she was a victim of digital arrest. When police asked why she had lied to the bank manager, the woman replied that she acted as per the instructions of the scamsters.
The cyber crime officer stated that despite creating awareness by distributing pamphlets and word-of-mouth campaigns, human error helps scamsters to succeed. “Golden hour is crucial in such cases.
Victims should inform police or cyber helpline 1930 or helpline 1930 or through https://cybercrime.gov.in as soon as they realise they have been scammed. This will help police to freeze the account before the money is moved further,” the officer said.