Cyber fraudsters have siphoned off an estimated ₹1,250 crore from victims in the national capital over the past year, underlining the scale and sophistication of what law enforcement officials describe as a new-age form of organised crime.
Police estimates suggest the nationwide losses from cyber fraud now stand at around ₹20,000 crore, a figure comparable to the annual budget of a small state. Despite repeated public advisories and awareness campaigns, the crime has shown little sign of abating.
The menace returned to public focus last week after a senior citizen couple from Greater Kailash in south Delhi was cheated of ₹14.85 crore through a so-called “digital arrest” scam, a tactic with no legal basis but widely used by fraudsters to instil fear and compliance.
According to the police, cyber criminals operating largely from Southeast Asian countries, including Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, stole around ₹1,100 crore from Delhi in 2024. The figure rose to approximately ₹1,250 crore in 2025, a senior officer said, although recoveries improved from 10 per cent to 24 per cent during the same period.
For Om Taneja, 81, and his wife Indira, 77, those numbers offer little comfort. The couple was allegedly placed under “digital arrest” for 16 days between December 24 and January 9 and coerced into transferring their entire life savings.
“We have lost all of our life's savings now. The cyber fraudsters repeatedly threatened us with arrest and serious consequences,” Taneja told PTI.
He said his wife was first contacted on WhatsApp by a caller claiming to be from the telecom department, who alleged her phone number was being used for illegal activities. What followed was a carefully choreographed sequence of threats and instructions, exploiting the couple’s fear and trust in authority.
Also read: Cybercrime surge drained ₹23,000 crore from Indians in 2024
During the period of so-called digital arrest, the couple transferred funds in several instalments of nearly ₹2 crore each, drawn from bank accounts and by liquidating mutual fund investments.
A senior police officer said cases involving digital arrest scams and fraudulent investment schemes have emerged as the most common methods used by cyber criminals to defraud victims. Investigators noted that international calls are often disguised as domestic ones using illegal SIM box devices, allowing fraudsters to evade detection.
“The calls are actually routed from abroad but are made to appear as domestic calls using illegal SIM box devices, which helps the accused evade detection while creating fear and urgency among victims,” the officer said.
Police said mule bank accounts remain a major challenge, as they create complex money trails. Such accounts are often opened by individuals from economically weaker sections in return for a commission and used to launder stolen funds.
Authorities said awareness drives have been intensified, particularly for senior citizens, and coordination with banks has been strengthened. Citizens have been urged to report cyber fraud immediately on the national helpline number 1930, as early reporting significantly improves the chances of freezing transactions and recovering money.
Major Vineet Kumar, founder and global president of CyberPeace, said a West Bengal court last year awarded life imprisonment in the country’s first conviction linked to a digital arrest scam.
“We must accept the truth. India has had poor conviction rates for cybercrime for a long time,” he told PTI, adding that strengthening digital forensics and specialised cyber units would improve justice delivery over time.
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