In his recent Mann Ki Baat radio speech of 22 February 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his own harsh warning to the millions of his listeners across India: beware of the growing menace of digital arrests schemes. Presented in his usual folksy, but decisive style, the 112th month of the monthly broadcast, brought out how cybercriminals are taking advantage of fear and technology to deceive poor citizens. Modi said that the fraudsters impersonate representatives of such agencies as the Enforcement Directorate or the police and lure individuals into fake video calls and ask them to pay money to avoid arrest, making sure that every Indian shares the information about it in their circles.
The PM provided statistics that were alarming to emphasize the magnitude of the scam. With losses amounting to more than 2,500 crore, as per the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), it was apparent that more than 1.2 lakh digital arrest cases were reported in 2025 itself. It takes just a few hours before victims (who usually belong to middle classes) lose their life savings in states such as Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. Modi shared real life accounts, such as of a woman in Delhi who had been forced to transfer 15 lakh through UPI by a fake claim officer who had remotely locked her phone during a video call. they cause panics and say that your Aadhaar or PAN is connected with money laundering. Never fall for it,” he advised.
The message of Modi was heard in India, which experienced the boom of a digital economy when UPI transactions reached a record 15 billion in January 2026. He hailed the efforts such as the Indian National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) which has assisted in recovering 1000 crore last year. Report as soon as possible–dial 1930 or helpline. Nothing authentic is going to require immediate payment or lock up your device which is what the PM underlined. He had also praised the efforts of citizens groups in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu who formed cyber vigilance squads to teach the seniors and rural locals.
This is not the first time that Modi rode on cyber safety. Earlier Mann Ki Baat shows had addressed issues of deepfakes and online gaming frauds, which is in line with the governmental initiative on Digital India. Cyber law experts such as Prashant Mali celebrated the speech as comes when it was very much needed since complaints increased by 30 percent after the festive season. The direct appeal by PM fosters trust and gives strength to victims as Mali said.
With India rapidly becoming a 1 trillion digital economy by the year 2028, this call to action by Modi is a call to arms. He concluded on an optimistic note: “With your help, we will transform India into scam proof. People are reacting – social media is full of hash tags: #StayAlertDigitalArrest and police stations have been reporting overwhelmed awareness campaigns.
Vigilance is the new armour in a country which has 80 crore smartphone users. Verify before you transfer. Share this message. Protect your family.
