Chandigarh, Aug. 15 -- A recent trend in the rising cases of 'digital arrest' cyber frauds in Chandigarh shows that majority of the victims are women. According to police data, 13 digital arrest cases have been registered in the city so far this year, of which nine victims were women while the remaining were men, most of them senior citizens over the age of 60. The fraudsters, posing as law enforcement officials or government representatives, exploit fear and social stigma to trap their targets. According to Chandigarh police, the modus operandi involves callers impersonating officers from the CBI, NCB, or cyber cell, claiming that the victim's bank account or Aadhaar has been linked to a crime. In many cases, victims are coerced into staying on video calls for hours, termed as a "digital arrest", and eventually forced to transfer large sums of money to "secure" accounts.Police point out that women are particularly vulnerable due to the fear of reputational harm. "Fraudsters know that fear works differently with women. They use intimidation tactics, claiming that their names will appear in public FIRs or media if they do not cooperate. This fear often overrides rational decision-making," said DSP Cyber, Venkatesh. In one recent case, a 72 year-old woman in Chandigarh was duped of Rs.11 lakh after she was told her Aadhaar was used for drug trafficking. Divya Bansal, professor and head of cyber security and research at PEC said, "Women are often more vulnerable to cybercrimes and financial frauds, including "digital arrest" scams, due to a mix of socio-behavioural and structural factors. In many socio-cultural settings, women may exhibit higher trust in perceived authority figures and a stronger inclination to comply with official-sounding instructions. Fraudsters exploit this by using fear-based and urgent narratives to trigger quick, uncritical responses using psychological manipulation. Women engaged in online financial transactions or remote work may also share personal details more frequently, increasing exposure to data harvesting." Bansal added, "Limited participation in targeted cyber safety training further reduces awareness of evolving fraud tactics. Social conditioning also discourages challenging authority or engaging in confrontations can also make women less likely to question suspicious demands." DSP Cyber, Venkatesh said, "We are going beyond traditional awareness drives. Advertisements are being run in theatres, and our Public Address System is being used to spread real-time traffic and cyber safety messages. Soon, we will launch the Cyber Swachta Mission to build a cleaner and safer digital space. Cyber awareness kiosks are being set up at public places, and our teams are visiting door-to-door to sensitise residents." Police are also collaborating with banks and telecom operators for freezing of suspicious accounts flagged in such crimes....