Surge in digital arrest frauds offsets dip in Delhi cybercrime in 2024

THe boilers suit cybercrime list in 2024 was 404, similar to the number recorded a yr before, as per information made available by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). However, the intrinsic trends varied, with the year marking a steep increase in cases of digital arrests, a new type of cyberfraud, wherein victims are coerced into transferring their life savings under the threat of arrest and long-term incarceration.Police officers aware of the matter said that while the overall cybercrime count fell from 407 recorded in 2023, this may not be indicative of the ground reality, due to low public awareness or lack of knowledge about new frauds.A Delhi Police spokesperson said, “We all file cases that are reported to us. Also, some complaints are clubbed. Sometimes, people do not report crimes due to shame or other reasons. However, this was in 2024. Now, people are more aware and we are encouraging people to file more FIRs, even if the amount is low.”In most digital arrests, scamsters pose as law enforcement agencies in telephonic calls, threaten to arrest their victims “digitally” and then keep them on video call for hours to coerce them into transferring money.Also Read | Delhi tops metro cities in violent crimes, records highest numbers in murders, kidnappings and thefts: NCRB reportTo be sure, the NCRB does not mention digital arrests as a motive or a separate head.According to NCRB data, sexual exploitation and fraud were the two most common drivers of cybercrime in Delhi in 2024. Police disposed of 414 cases, and filed charge sheets in 322 at a rate of 77.8%, and a pendency rate of 76.5%.Economic offences, meanwhile, declined slightly, from 4,586 in 2023 to 4,524 in 2024. Cases related to forgery, cheating, and fraud dominated the category, accounting for 4,237 cases.Charge sheets were filed in 2,830 of these cases, and 4,871 cases, including previous year backlogs, were disposed of by the police.Delhi ranked fourth worst among metropolitan cities in economic offences, following Mumbai (7,771), Hyderabad (5,839), and Jaipur (5,471).Cyber law expert and Supreme Court lawyer Dr Pavan Duggal said that there has been no meaningful reduction in cases and alleged that underreporting by police creates a “misleading picture”, even as cybercrime continues to surge across India, describing it as a “cybercrime pandemic.”“This report is like closing your eyes to the sun. The figures fail to reflect ground reality,” he said.