Mumbai Police Commissioner Warns Against Fake Arrest Notices, Urges Public to Report Scams

Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar has issued a warning about fraudulent "arrest notices" circulating via email, phone calls, and messaging apps. In a recent post on X, he advised the public to disregard and report any such notices received.

The commissioner highlighted a particular fake notice that falsely claimed a court order against the recipient's IP address related to pornography and mentioned the CBI. 

"Received an arrest notice from the Commissioner of Mumbai Police? Bring it to our notice. Don't believe or respond to any fake arrest notice on mail, WhatsApp, SMS or phone call received on behalf of the Commissioner, Mumbai Police," he said in a post on X.

With a rise in online scams involving fraudsters impersonating law enforcement, Phansalkar emphasized the importance of reporting these scams to the police.

People should not fall prey to the fraudsters who send such communication and instead report it to police, Phansalkar added.

The commissioner also posted the screenshot of one such notice that had gone viral.

The so-called notice, written in garbled English and sent through e-mail, asked the recipient to visit the office of the commissioner of police, claiming there was a "court order" against the person's IP (Internet Protocol) address for something to do with pornography. It also mentioned the CBI.

Of late, numerous cases of online cheating where fraudsters pose as police or other law enforcement/government agencies and extort money have come to light.