Noida Apartment owners' associations issue advisory on fraudsters armed with fake warrants - All you need about the scam

In the wake of numerous cases of ‘digital arrest’ being reported recently, apartment owners' associations of several societies in Noida has issued a circular, warning residents about the scam, said a report by Times of India.

The advisory is aimed at alerting residents about fraudsters allegedly impersonating police or court officials armed with fake arrest warrants and trying to gain entry to flats to extort money, said the report.

“Although the circular highlights one such incident, police in the city said they had no information about any such case,” it added.

The report citing the circular said, “a man claiming to be a court official attempted to enter an apartment complex recently with a supposed arrest warrant for a resident.”

As the security guards denied him entry after verification, he returned with accomplices posing as police officials.

Outlining several preventive measures, the circular said thorough security checks of visitors, proper verification of those claiming to be government officials must be conducted, suspicious people must be reported to RWA offices, avoid opening doors to strangers and video doorbells should be installed.

Last week, Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda had urged the public to remain vigilant and avoid falling victim to cyber fraudsters who extort money by impersonating government officials and claiming to enforce a "digital arrest".

He said the police have been receiving several complaints about individuals being intimidated by the concept of digital arrest, resulting in substantial financial losses.

Citing a recent case where a 39-year-old software engineer lost ₹11.8 crore to this scam, the Commissioner clarified, "We want to reiterate, as we have done multiple times through our social media channels, that there is no concept of digital arrest in our legal statutes or Constitution. Police actions are based strictly on legal provisions, and there is no provision for digital arrest."

Explaining standard legal procedures, he stated that the police issue notices or physically apprehend individuals when necessary. "If we arrest someone, they must be produced before the jurisdictional magistrate within 24 hours, and remand or custody must be obtained. Cyber fraudsters, however, falsely claim digital arrests, detain victims for days or weeks, and extort money," he said.