Chandigarh: Cybercriminals siphoned off nearly ₹49 crore from Chandigarh residents in the first eight months of 2026, while police managed to freeze or place a lien on just ₹12.2 crore—roughly 25% of the total defrauded amount—data obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act revealed.Between Jan 1 and Aug 31, 2026, the Chandigarh Police Cyber Crime Cell received 4,548 complaints and registered 149 FIRs, with total reported losses reaching ₹48.9 crore.Digital arrest scams accounted for significant financial damage. Out of 27 complaints involving fraudsters impersonating police and government officials to threaten victims with arrest, police registered five FIRs involving losses worth ₹5.4 crore.The RTI data highlighted multiple fraud avenues. Fraudulent transactions using debit/credit card details and PINs drew 710 complaints, while scams on OLX involving fake buying, selling, and extortion generated 549 complaints.Another 610 complaints involved fraudsters posing as buyers or sellers on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Additionally, 208 complaints pertained to fake job offers, work permits, visa services, and travel agencies.Fake gas connections triggered 291 complaints, leading to 23 FIRs involving ₹70.8 lakh. Another 116 complaints were tied to prize money, gift vouchers, foreign parcels, and customs impersonation.A category-wise breakdown of registered cases showed investment scams topping the list with 31 cases, followed by gas frauds (23), APK file scams (16), impersonation (11), and digital arrests (5)—together accounting for 86 cases.Police solved 45 cyber fraud cases during this period, arresting 92 accused across West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, and Haryana.By comparison, the UT cyber police station received 5,983 complaints in 2025 and registered 153 FIRs. Victims lost ₹38.1 crore that year, with ₹8.1 crore put on hold. Police solved 57 cases and made 148 arrests in 2025.Cyber police emphasised that reporting fraud immediately improves recovery chances. Officials are developing a mechanism to refund frozen funds to victims within two weeks.Police advised residents against trusting unsolicited calls, suspicious links, or lucrative online offers, urging immediate reporting of financial cyber fraud on the national helpline 1930 or at the nearest police station.