15 November,2025 09:33 PM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer
Police distributed awareness pamphlets in Marathi and English and explained preventive steps to senior citizens.
Amid a sharp rise in the "digital arrest" frauds, the cybercrime wing of Mumbai Police has launched a targeted outreach programme for senior citizens living alone in Zone 1 (Colaba).
According to officers, 142 digital arrest cases were registered in Mumbai City between January and October, resulting in financial losses of Rs 114 crore.
To curb the growing number of frauds, the crime branch's cyber cell unit has identified 627 senior citizens living alone across Zone 1 and conducted door-to-door visits to educate them on the modus operandi of digital arrest frauds.
A team of 25 officers and 27 personnel from five regional cyber police stations under the crime branch participated in the drive, distributing awareness pamphlets in Marathi and English and explaining preventive steps.
During the interactions, senior citizens expressed appreciation for the initiative and assured the police that they would stay alert against callers impersonating police, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED) or Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials - a common tactic used in digital arrest frauds, police officers said.
The initiative was carried out under the guidance of Commissioner of Police Deven Bharti, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Lakhmi Gautam, Additional CP (Crime) Shailesh Balkawade, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime Additional Charge) Bajrang Bansode, and ACP (Cyber Department) Irfan Sheikh.
The police reiterated key precautions and emphasised that digital arrest does not exist in law, government agencies never detain citizens over video calls, and no money should ever be transferred in response to threats online.
Those receiving suspicious calls have been urged to contact the nearest police station or dial 1930/100 or file complaints at cybercrime.gov.in.
