Bhopal. Cases of digital arrest and cyber fraud are becoming a matter of concern for both the government and society. By adopting new methods, fraudsters make people lose their hard-earned money in a few minutes. In the last two years, 992 cases of cyber fraud have been reported in Madhya Pradesh. The swindlers have defrauded approximately Rs 152 crore. This information has come to light in the Assembly in response to the question of Congress MLA Pratap Grewal. According to the information of the Home Department, in 2023, 53 cases of online fraud were reported in Bhopal and 184 in Indore. In the year 2023, fraud of Rs 19 crore took place in 444 cases across Madhya Pradesh. This year in 2024, the amount of fraud increased to Rs 94 crore. In 2024, a total of 521 cases were reported in the state including 77 in Bhopal, 141 in Indore, 94 in Jabalpur, 44 in Ujjain. Cases of online fraud increased by 20 percent in 2024 compared to 2023, but the amount of fraud increased five times more.
510 cyber criminals arrested
In Madhya Pradesh, in 2023 and 2024, there was fraud of Rs 138 crore in 965 cases of online fraud and Rs 14 crore in 27 cases of digital arrest. Home Department officials said that an amount of Rs 18 crore has been seized from cyber criminals. 510 criminals have been arrested. In most of the cases, people were cheated by posing as officials of Police, Bank, Income Tax Department, CBI, Customs, TRAI.
1 case of digital arrest in the year 2023
Only one case of digital arrest was registered in the year 2023. Cyber Police Head Quarter, Bhopal had registered a case of digital arrest. In this, the swindlers had cheated Rs 96,968. In the year 2024, 26 cases of digital arrest were registered, in which fraudsters defrauded Rs 12 crore 60 lakh 71 thousand 802. Police arrested 38 accused and returned an amount of Rs 72 lakh 38 thousand 927 to the victims.
Madhya Pradesh is the soft target of criminals
In the year 2024, 9 cases were registered at the Cyber Police Head Quarter of Bhopal. In these 9 cases, fraud of Rs 3 crore 4 lakh 77 thousand 626 was done. Police have arrested 7 accused from Dausa (Rajasthan), Gwalior, Neemuch, Dewas, Mandsaur, Didwana (Rajasthan). An amount of Rs 14 lakh 33 thousand 720 has been returned to the victims.