Ongole: Bapatla district Superintendent of Police B Umamaheshwar unveiled posters and pamphlets on Monday to educate the public about rising cybercrimes, particularly the ‘digital arrest’ scam that has been targeting unsuspecting victims across the region. The awareness drive comes after a retired employee from Vetapalem village under the Tsundur police station limits lost approximately Rs 74 lakh to cyber criminals who used digital arrest tactics to intimidate and extort money. The case was successfully solved by the Bapatla district police, leading to the arrests of accused persons from other states. Speaking at the campaign launch at his camp office, SP Umamaheshwar emphasised that ‘digital arrest’, where criminals pose as police, CBI, ED, telecom officials, or customs officers through video calls, is not legally recognised in Indian law. There is no such thing as digital arrest in Indian laws, he stated, urging citizens not to respond to such fraudulent video calls.

The SP said that cybercrimes are evolving rapidly alongside technological advancement. As technology develops rapidly in this digital age, cybercrimes are also increasing at the same pace, he noted, pointing out that even educated individuals are falling victim to these sophisticated scams. The campaign addresses multiple cybercrime categories, including PM-KISAN app APK file frauds, investment scams, fake loan apps, fraudulent websites, banking frauds, and social media deceptions. In one recent case, criminals impersonating health department officials defrauded three victims of Rs 164724 under the guise of the Chief Minister’s Janani Suraksha scheme.

Citizens are advised to disconnect suspicious calls immediately, never share personal or banking details, avoid clicking unknown links, and report incidents to the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) or visit www.cybercrime.gov.in. The SP announced plans to conduct awareness programmes in schools, colleges, and other essential locations across the Bapatla district.