The Rise of Digital Arrests in India: An In-Depth Exploration of Unlawful Cyber Detentions and Criminological Countermeasures

Digital arrests are becoming a more common issue in India, where individuals often get caught up in cases of illegal cyber detention, often without the need for physical illegal detention. This paper explores the emergence of a modern crime trend in which cybercriminals take advantage of vulnerabilities in digital environments to threaten or pressure individuals into a form of "Virtual Confinement" using shenanigans like hacking, blackmail, and data manipulation. As our dependence on digital technology increases, the number of individuals falling prey to digital arrest has risen sharply, affecting everyone from unsuspecting users to professionals who may not recognise digital traps. This study explores recent cases of cybercriminal manipulations for digital arrests and the preventive strategies law enforcement executes. The study explores how changing cybercrime precluding, improving tech safeguards, and growing community outreach programs are essential for safety in India's expanding online environment.