The Rajasthan Police Cyber Crime Branch on Friday, 29 May issued a public advisory urging citizens to use the newly launched AI chatbot ABHAY — short for Artificial Intelligence Based Helpful Assistant for You — to verify suspicious legal notices and guard against rising 'digital arrest' scams and fake court notices. The tool, available round the clock, is aimed particularly at women, the elderly, and citizens with limited digital literacy.

What ABHAY Is and How It Works

Additional Director General of Police (Cyber Crime), V.K. Singh, confirmed that the chatbot has been developed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to help the public identify fraudulent legal notices and avoid falling prey to impostors posing as police officers, CBI officials, or court representatives. The system operates as a 24×7 digital support platform capable of instantly assessing the authenticity of suspicious communications received via mobile phones, emails, or social media.

ABHAY communicates in Hindi, English, and several regional languages, making it accessible to users across rural and semi-urban areas. Officials noted that the interface is designed to respond in simple, non-technical language — a deliberate choice to serve villagers and first-time digital users.

Key Features of the Chatbot

According to the Cyber Crime Branch, ABHAY provides real-time updates on emerging cyber fraud techniques and offers calm, step-by-step guidance to distressed victims. In critical cases, it automatically redirects users to the Union government's official cyber complaint portal, ensuring seamless escalation without requiring the victim to navigate complex systems independently.

Singh said the core objective is to prevent citizens from panicking or transferring money after receiving threatening calls or fake 'digital arrest' notices — a pattern that has become increasingly common across Rajasthan and the wider country.

The Digital Arrest Threat

The advisory comes against a backdrop of surging cyber fraud cases in which criminals impersonate law enforcement or judicial authorities and coerce victims — often the elderly or financially vulnerable — into transferring large sums under the threat of fabricated arrest warrants. Such scams exploit the fear of legal consequences and typically unfold over video calls designed to mimic official proceedings.

Rajasthan Police reiterated a firm warning: no legitimate law enforcement agency conducts arrests or investigations through video calls, nor does any official body demand money transfers to forestall legal action. This clarification is central to countering the psychological manipulation that makes digital arrest scams effective.

What Citizens Should Do

The public has been advised to verify any suspicious legal notice or call through ABHAY before responding. Cyber fraud incidents should be reported immediately to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, the dedicated cyber helpline number 1930, or the nearest cyber police station. Authorities stressed that early reporting significantly improves the chances of fund recovery and perpetrator tracing.

As cyber fraud tactics grow more sophisticated, the launch of ABHAY signals a broader shift toward proactive, technology-driven public outreach by Indian law enforcement — and the pressure is now on adoption at the grassroots level.