Cybercrime surge in India involves impersonation of security forces

Multiple cybercrime incidents across India highlight a rise in sophisticated impersonation and ‘digital arrest’ scams. In Mumbai, a retired officer from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) was defrauded of approximately ₹1.70 lakh after a scammer posing as a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel used fake identification to facilitate a fraudulent property rental transaction.

In another significant case, scammers posing as Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officers targeted a woman in Bokaro by claiming her husband had received ₹300 crore from a Pakistani account. The victim was placed under ‘digital arrest’ and coerced into transferring ₹4.50 lakh. Following a technical investigation, Bokaro police arrested two suspects in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.

Additional reports indicate localized scams involving fear-based tactics, such as a woman in Boudh losing over ₹12,000 after being falsely accused of viewing explicit content and threatened with immediate police raids. Authorities continue to urge citizens to remain vigilant and never share OTPs or banking credentials with unknown callers.