February 05, 2026 09:43 am (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
‘Justice crying behind closed doors’: Mamata Banerjee slams ECI in Supreme Court, CJI Kant assures solution | Mummy, Papa, sorry: Three sisters jump to death after parents object to online gaming | Supreme Court raps Meta, WhatsApp: ‘Theft of private information, won’t allow its use’ | ‘Completely surrendered’: Congress slams Modi after Trump’s trade deal move | PM Modi thanks 'dear friend' Trump for tariff reduction, hails strong US–India partnership | Trump announces US–India trade deal, lowers reciprocal tariffs to 18% | After Budget mayhem, bulls return: Sensex, Nifty stage sharp recovery | Dalai Lama wins first Grammy at 90 | Firing outside Rohit Shetty’s Mumbai home: 4 arrested, Bishnoi Gang link emerges | Female suicide attackers emerge at centre of deadly BLA assaults that rocked Pakistan’s Balochistan
Digital Arrest
Youtuber Ankush Bahuguna has shared a video on Instagram where he said he was held hostage for nearly 40 hours in a digital arrest scam. Photo Courtesy: Ankush Bahuguna Instagram page

Youtuber Ankush Bahuguna claims he was put under digital arrest for 40 hours

| @indiablooms | Jan 05, 2025, at 08:03 pm

Youtuber Ankush Bahuguna has shared a video on Instagram where he said he was held hostage for nearly 40 hours in a digital arrest scam.

In the video, Bahuguna could be heard sharing his experience with his followers and how it left him shaken.

In his Instagram post, along with the video, he said: "Pls don’t ever think ‘how could this happen to me, I’m so stupid’ because you are brave enough to admit this on SM just to make others aware & the kind of reach you have I’m sure lots of people will benefit from your video & save themselves."

"Much love and hope you put this behind you soon. You’ve been through awful stuff. Blessed though to have friends who saved you ultimately," he said.

The Youtuber said he could not believe such an incident happened to him.

"I am still in a little bit of shock. I have lost money. I have lost my mental health to this. I can't believe this happened to me. I was under 'digital arrest' for about 40 hours," he said in the video.

Also Read: Woman duped of Rs 11 lakh in 'digital arrest fraud', UP Police starts probe into new cyber fraud trend

He claimed scammers called him and said illegal items were found in his package which was being shipped to China.

He said the scammers said customs had seized the article.

Narendra Modi cautions countrymen against digital arrest

Last year, Indian PM Narendra Modi cautioned countrymen about the scam.

Emphasizing the seriousness of the issue, he urged citizens to adopt a 'wait, think, and take action' approach when faced with such scams.

The term "digital arrest" describes a cybercrime in which scammers impersonate law enforcement officials and threaten victims with arrest unless they pay a certain amount. Reports of this scam have been on the rise nationwide.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.