Lucknow: A 70-year-old retired bank employee in Lucknow was held under a six-hour “digital arrest” by cyber fraudsters posing as CBI officers in January but was saved from losing his savings because of timely reporting and swift police action.

Inderjeet Singh, a resident of Sindhunagar in Krishna Nagar area, was alone at home when he received a call around 2 pm from unknown persons claiming to be officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation, according to officials.

The callers kept him psychologically confined and under pressure, a tactic increasingly used by cyber criminals. However, when Singh stopped responding to repeated calls from his family, they alerted the Krishna Nagar police. Prompt intervention ensured that no financial transaction took place, and a potential fraud was averted.

In another case, alert staff of the Bank of Maharashtra prevented a Rs 35 lakh “digital arrest” fraud targeting a retired Lucknow Municipal Corporation official, Chhedilal Patel, on February 6, when he was at the bank, when cyber conmen struck him.

Thugs posing as “ATS officers” kept him on a nearly 90-minute call and even initiated a fake WhatsApp video “hearing”, citing a Pahalgam terror probe to intimidate him. Noticing his distress, bank employees intervened, confronted the callers and ensured no transaction was made, thereby averting a major financial loss.

Police officials say the case underlines the importance of acting within the “golden hour” — a strategy that has significantly improved Uttar Pradesh’s performance in tackling cyber fraud.

According to the latest data from the Union Home Ministry’s National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, UP received 29,715 cyber fraud complaints in January 2026 involving losses of Rs 138 crore.

Of this, Rs 48.45 crore was secured by placing liens on suspected bank accounts, translating into a lien (frozen/seized) percentage of about 35 per cent.

The state has now climbed to the third position among states and Union territories in terms of freezing defrauded money, a sharp rise from its 24th rank last year.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu topped the list with a lien percentage of 62.44 per cent, followed by Haryana at 35.72 per cent. Telangana recorded 26.69 per cent, Maharashtra 22 per cent and Tamil Nadu 14 per cent.

In an interaction with PTI, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Krishna attributed the turnaround to faster reporting by victims and improved coordination between police cyber cells, banks and payment gateways.

“The awareness among people has to be on two counts. First, don’t become a victim of cyber frauds and second, if by any chance you are a victim, immediately report the matter at the local policestation or the central helpline number 1930,” he said. “The golden hour of reporting online crime is crucial. The earlier it is reported, the greater the chances of holding the money and getting it recovered. Don’t wait long; report cyber crimes in the first hour itself,” the DGP added.

He explained that a lien refers to temporarily freezing money in bank accounts linked to fraudulent transactions, preventing withdrawal or transfer until legal procedures are completed and thereby improving recovery prospects.