Mumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday clarified that ‘digital arrest’ – a cyber fraud tactic which has been used to dupe innumerable citizens – was a sheer falsehood and has no legal standing.
“Cyber fraudsters impersonate police or CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) officials on video call to create a fraudulent virtual jail environment and intimidate victims. People should be aware of such fraudsters,” Fadnavis said while replying to a question in the assembly related to cyber fraud.
No law enforcement agency or government body would ever arrest anyone via a video call or demand money to settle some legal matter, the chief minister said.
“We have set up India’s most advanced cyber security centre in Maharashtra. It has become a national model and few other states have approached us to track digital footprints and dismantle fraudulent call centres in their states,” he noted.
Between late 2025 and early 2026, at least 145 major cyber crime cases were registered in Maharashtra, while the total defrauded amount was ₹129 crore, the chief minister informed the assembly. Quick action in a case in Ahilyanagar had helped the police recover ₹78 lakh out of ₹87 lakh fraudulently taken from a victim, he said.
Dwelling on the importance of the golden hour, when victims have the highest chance of recovering stolen funds before they are siphoned through multiple “mule” accounts or withdrawn, Fadnavis said, “The first 60 minutes are important for action and recovery. People who fall prey to these rackets should contact the helpline 1930 for seizure of the amount transferred with the help of banks.”
The chief minister also urged people to simply hang up on suspicious callers and report such instances to the cyber police.
Public Trust Act amendment
The Mahayuti government will amend the Maharashtra Public Trust Act to ensure stricter implementation of rules related to treatment of poor patients at charitable hospitals, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told the legislative assembly on Tuesday.
Currently, though charitable hospitals are required to set aside 10% beds for treatment of poor patients, there is no mechanism to monitor their actual spending on such treatment, the chief minister said.
“Charitable hospitals need to spend 2% of their revenue on treating poor patients. They show this on paper by inflating rates. By amending the law, we will make them finalise the base rate for various types of procedures, so that the government can monitor actual spending,” Fadnavis said while responding during the question hour.
Out of 479 charitable hospitals that avail various concessions from the state government, only 134 provide free treatment to the poor as per rules, he said.