India, Aug. 26 -- Bengaluru, India's tech capital, is reeling under a digital crime wave. In just 18 months, the city has lost a staggering Rs.572.68 crore to "digital arrest" scams, fraudulent schemes where cybercriminals pose as law enforcement or government officials and extort money under the threat of fabricated legal consequences.

According to data presented by Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara in the Legislative Assembly, 1,004 such cases have been registered in Bengaluru between 2024 and mid-2025, Bangalore Mirror reported.

That's an average of nearly three people being duped every single day. Worse, the financial haemorrhage adds up to Rs.1.05 crore lost daily, or Rs.4.37 lakh every hour.

The scam is simple but terrify...