CHENNAI: The police are probing a complaint from a couple in Vadapalani who lost Rs 75,000 to cyber fraudsters impersonating officials of the High Commission in London who claimed that their daughter, who is studying in London, was under 'digital arrest'.
Digital arrest involves scammers calling potential targets posing as law enforcement officers, typically from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Mumbai Police, among others and fabricating a scenario to instil fear and create panic in the minds of the person at the other end of the line.
On Sunday evening, the complainant, Banumathi (49) of Vadapalani, had received a call in which the callers mentioned her daughter's education credentials and claimed that she was caught up in a multi-million dollar fraud case and demanded that she make an initial payment of Rs 75,000. When the caller demanded more money, the woman informed her husband, who made inquiries and found that they were a victim of cyber fraud and approached the city police.
A senior police officer with Tamil Nadu Police's Cyber Crime wing said that, in 2025, as many as 1,203 complaints from Tamil Nadu were registered in the National Cyber Crime Reporting (NCRP) portal regarding 'Digital Arrest'.