Maharashtra: No such thing as ‘digital arrest’; in case of cyber fraud, contact helpline ‘1930’ immediately, says CM Fadnavis

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 26 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday appealed to citizens not to fall prey to any tactics of cyber criminals and asked them to immediately contact the cyber helpline number '1930' in case of cyber fraud.
"Cyber criminals dupe citizens by frightening and intimidating them in the name of police, the CBI, or judges. Citizens must not fall prey to any such tactics and should immediately contact the cyber helpline number '1930' in case of cyber fraud," he appealed.
The Chief Minister made these remarks while launching the cyber-awareness short film 'Digital Arrest' and the '1930 Maharashtra Cyber Anthem' at an event organised by Maharashtra Cyber at Sahyadri Guest House here.
Artistes who contributed to the short film and the Cyber Anthem included Ashish Vidyarthi, Pankaj Tripathi, Sharad Kelkar, Sonali Bendre, Javed Jaffrey, singer Sunidhi Chauhan, Mangesh Desai, and Samay Raina, a release said.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the "golden hour" immediately after a cyber fraud is extremely crucial -- filing a complaint during this window greatly improves the chances of freezing or recovering the defrauded amount. However, when citizens delay lodging complaints by three to fifteen days, the money gets transferred across multiple accounts, making recovery very difficult. Hence, the moment fraud is detected, one must contact 1930 without delay, he added.
Against the backdrop of mobile and online transactions, various payment gateways, and digital platforms becoming an integral part of daily life and technology making life easier, while increasing citizens' vulnerability to cybercrime, the Chief Minister noted. He stated that alongside effective use of modern technology by the police machinery to counter cyber criminals, large-scale public awareness among citizens is essential.
He added that cyber criminals use various ploys -- claiming drugs were found in a parcel, OTP fraud, fake phone calls, and threats made in the name of police or the CBI.
He further added that seeing a person in a khaki uniform, or someone posing as a police officer or judge, on screen frightens ordinary citizens into falling for the fraud. The Chief Minister appealed to citizens not to succumb to any such pressure or fear.
Fadnavis said public awareness is the most effective way to curb cybercrime, and that this message can be conveyed to citizens more effectively through artists, actors, and singers, the release said.
He added that there is a need to spread this message to every citizen through a wide social media campaign using the 42-minute awareness film 'Digital Arrest' along with various clips and reels.
On Artificial intelligence creating new challenges in the form of voice cloning, deepfakes, and fabricated audio and video, he said the work being undertaken by Maharashtra Cyber to tackle these challenges is commendable, and expressed confidence that a wide-ranging cyber-awareness campaign will succeed in the future with everyone's cooperation.
At the event, Maharashtra Cyber Cell chief Yashasvi Yadav gave a presentation on upcoming projects -- the Maharashtra Cyber Safe app and the 'Asha Call Bot'.
The Chief Minister felicitated the artistes who contributed to the 'Digital Arrest' cyber-awareness short film and the '1930 Maharashtra Cyber Anthem'. The artistes also shared their thoughts on the occasion.
Minister of State Pankaj Bhoyar, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Manisha Mhaiskar, Director General of Police Sadanand Date, the Chief Minister's Additional Chief Secretary Lokesh Chandra, the Chief Minister's Principal Secretary Shrikar Pardeshi, Commissioner of Police Deven Bharti, the Chief Minister's Investment Advisor Kaustubh Dhavse, Additional Director General of Police (Cyber) Sanjay Shintre, and Maharashtra Cyber Cell chief Yashasvi Yadav were present on the occasion. (ANI)