Karnataka lost Rs 312.5 crore in ‘digital arrest’ scam over three years: Minister
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): People in Karnataka lost Rs 312.5 crore in 1,314 cases of so-called 'digital arrest' over the past three years, Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Friday.
Sharing data in a written reply in the state Assembly, the minister said only Rs 24.86 crore had been recovered, while Rs 18.33 crore of the cheated amount was returned to victims.
According to the data, 147 cases of digital arrest were reported in 2023, when the trend first emerged, resulting in losses of Rs 16.66 crore.
'Digital arrest' is a form of cyber fraud where fraudsters pose as law enforcement officers and threaten people through audio or video calls, forcing them to transfer money online.
ALSO READ: Man caught on CCTV kicking five-year-old playing outside home in Bengaluru
The cases surged sharply in 2024 to 874, with losses amounting to Rs 151.25 crore. In 2025, the number of cases declined to 293, though the amount lost remained high at Rs 144.59 crore.
The data also showed a decline in overall cybercrime cases this year. Karnataka recorded 22,255 cybercrime cases in 2023, which rose marginally to 22,479 in 2024 before dropping to 13,599 in 2025.
While murder cases have declined, cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act have risen steadily, from 2,197 in 2019 to 4,096 in 2025.
The minister said overall atrocity cases showed a decline; however, atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes increased from 1,587 in 2019 to 2,277 in 2025.
Sexual assault cases against women declined this year compared to the previous three years, falling from 6,489 in 2023 and 6,568 in 2024 to 5,201 in 2025.
Riot-related cases also showed a downward trend, decreasing from 3,907 in 2023 to 3,462 in 2024 and 3,094 in 2025.
Drug-related cases, however, increased from 4,168 in 2024 to 5,930 in 2025, he added. The state destroyed drugs worth Rs 104.18 crore this year, the highest ever in Karnataka’s history.
Cases registered against police personnel have risen sharply over the years, increasing from 16 cases in 2019 to 78 cases in 2023, he added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SC stays UGC regulation pertaining to definition of caste discrimination
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed a recent University Grants Commission (UGC) regulation after various pleas were filed contending that the Commission adopted a non-inclusionary definition of caste-based discrimination and excluded certain categories from institutional protection.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to the Centre and the UGC on the pleas challenging the regulation.
The new regulations mandating all higher education institutions to form "equity committees" to look into discrimination complaints and promote equity were notified on January 13.
The University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, mandated that these committees must include members of the Other Backward Classes (OBC), the Scheduled Castes (SC), the Scheduled Tribes (ST), persons with disabilities, and women.
The new regulations replaces the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012, which was largely advisory in nature.
The pleas assailed the regulation on the grounds that caste-based discrimination is defined strictly as discrimination against members of the SCs, STs and OBCs.
It said that by limiting the scope of "caste-based discrimination" only to SC, ST and OBC categories, the UGC has effectively denied institutional protection and grievance redressal to individuals belonging to the "general" or non-reserved categories who may also face harassment or bias based on their caste identity.
Protests were held at various places against the regulations, with student groups and organisations demanding its immediate rollback.
