Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis warned citizens against cyber fraudsters posing as police officers, CBI officials and judges, saying there is no concept of “digital arrest”. He urged victims to immediately call cybercrime helpline 1930 during the “golden hour” to improve chances of recovering stolen money.

Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday urged citizens to remain alert against cyber frauds involving criminals posing as police officers, CBI officials or judges, and clarified that there is no such thing as a “digital arrest”. He appealed to victims of cyber fraud to immediately contact the cybercrime helpline '1930'.

Fadnavis was speaking at an event organised by Maharashtra Cyber at Sahyadri Guest House, where he released a cyber awareness short film titled ‘Digital Arrest’ and the ‘1930 Maharashtra Cyber Anthem’. Actors Ashish Vidyarthi, Pankaj Tripathi, Sharad Kelkar, Sonali Bendre and Javed Jaffrey, along with singers Sunidhi Chauhan and Mangesh Desai and Samay Raina, who contributed to the awareness campaign, were present.

CM warns against cyber frauds

The Chief Minister said the period immediately after a cyber fraud is a crucial “golden hour”. If victims report the fraud promptly, authorities have a greater possibility of freezing the transaction or recovering the stolen money. However, delays of even a few days can allow criminals to transfer the money through several bank accounts, making recovery increasingly difficult.