Hello ma'am, I'm calling from FedEx. We've been alerted by police that a courier you sent to Iraq contains drugs. This is what a man on the other end of the phone told Ankita Shrivastav, a stand-up comedian based in Mumbai city, one afternoon in October 2024. What followed was one of the most harrowing experiences of her life, Shrivastav says, but she never spoke about it publicly until this April, when she performed a comedy sketch based on the experience.
In the almost 30-minute video uploaded on her YouTube channel, Shrivastav narrates how the person on the phone asked her to make a video call and connected her with two men in police uniform who placed her under digital arrest until they could verify her identity and confirm that she wasn't the person who sent the courier.
For the next eight hours, the policemen monitored Shrivastav via a video calling app on her laptop. She wasn't allowed to switch off her camera, leave the house, or meet or speak to anyone. They asked her numerous questions, including about her bank accounts and transaction history, all while reminding her of the grave trouble she faced.
The pressure was intense and after a while, I felt confused and psychologically exhausted. I just wanted the ordeal to end, Shrivastav told the BBC. She went on to approve transactions worth 900,000 rupees ($9,300; £6,700) at the behest of the so-called policemen, only to recognize later that the entire operation was a scam and that she had lost her money.
Shrivastav believes she was vulnerable due to her fear of the police and her desire not to damage her reputation among fans. According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report for the year 2023-2024, there was an 18% increase in cybercrimes year-on-year, with losses exceeding 220 billion rupees. Digital arrests, where impersonators claim to be law enforcement and coerce victims into providing sensitive information or money, are among the most common scams in India.
Officials estimate that around 100,000 cybercrime cases are currently pending investigation in India, while the government has launched initiatives to combat cybercrime through awareness campaigns and improved reporting systems. Experts caution that while digital literacy is improving, scammers are evolving as technology advances, making it critical for individuals to remain vigilant.
In the almost 30-minute video uploaded on her YouTube channel, Shrivastav narrates how the person on the phone asked her to make a video call and connected her with two men in police uniform who placed her under digital arrest until they could verify her identity and confirm that she wasn't the person who sent the courier.
For the next eight hours, the policemen monitored Shrivastav via a video calling app on her laptop. She wasn't allowed to switch off her camera, leave the house, or meet or speak to anyone. They asked her numerous questions, including about her bank accounts and transaction history, all while reminding her of the grave trouble she faced.
The pressure was intense and after a while, I felt confused and psychologically exhausted. I just wanted the ordeal to end, Shrivastav told the BBC. She went on to approve transactions worth 900,000 rupees ($9,300; £6,700) at the behest of the so-called policemen, only to recognize later that the entire operation was a scam and that she had lost her money.
Shrivastav believes she was vulnerable due to her fear of the police and her desire not to damage her reputation among fans. According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report for the year 2023-2024, there was an 18% increase in cybercrimes year-on-year, with losses exceeding 220 billion rupees. Digital arrests, where impersonators claim to be law enforcement and coerce victims into providing sensitive information or money, are among the most common scams in India.
Officials estimate that around 100,000 cybercrime cases are currently pending investigation in India, while the government has launched initiatives to combat cybercrime through awareness campaigns and improved reporting systems. Experts caution that while digital literacy is improving, scammers are evolving as technology advances, making it critical for individuals to remain vigilant.
