Digital Arrests, Fake Cops, Vanishing Crores: Inside India’s Exploding Cyber Fraud Crisis

Across India, cyber fraud is fast turning into digital terror — crores siphoned off, victims left helpless, and justice painfully slow. In Punjab’s Patiala, former IPS officer Amar Singh Chahal, with 29 years of service, was allegedly cheated of over ₹8 crore. The massive fraud pushed the former IG into severe mental distress, exposing how even senior officials are not immune. This is not one city, not one victim. India Today uncovers a nationwide pattern of cyber crime. In Kanpur, a dialysis patient was kept under “digital arrest” for 70 days. In Patna, fraudsters posed as CBI officers and judges to extort money. In Chandigarh, fake arrest threats and visuals led to losses of over ₹1 crore. Police warn that greed, fake emails, malware links and money-multiplier schemes are key traps. Cyber criminals are moving faster than enforcement. Until the system catches up, the warning is clear — stay alert, stay informed, because the next victim could be you.