Money has gone from my account
In online fraud the first few hours decide whether the money can be frozen. Reporting quickly is not a formality — banks can hold a transfer only while it is still sitting in the receiving account.
Do these things today
- Call 1930 immediately. This is the national cyber-fraud helpline and it starts the freeze request on the receiving account.
- File the complaint on cybercrime.gov.in the same day and save the acknowledgement number.
- Do not delete anything. Screenshots, the caller's number, the UPI reference, the bank SMS — all of it becomes evidence.
- If someone is threatening to release private photographs, do not pay. Payment never ends it.
How the procedure runs
Same day
1930 call and cybercrime.gov.in complaint. This is what allows a freeze.
FIR / NCRP follow-up
The complaint is converted and an investigating officer assigned.
Tracing & freeze
Banks act on the trail. Recovery depends on speed here.
Court, if needed
Application for release of funds, or prosecution of the accused.
Timelines vary with the court and the matter. This is the order of events, not a promise about how long each takes.
What actually decides a matter like this
Not the arguing. These are the things that move the outcome, and most of them are settled long before a hearing.
How fast the report was made
Money can be held only while it is still sitting in the receiving account. The 1930 call and the portal complaint are what trigger the hold — an advocate cannot substitute for either, and cannot recover speed already lost.
Whether the electronic evidence is admissible
Screenshots alone are frequently useless. Electronic records need the certificate under the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam; without it the strongest-looking chat history can be excluded.
Which agency actually holds the file
In Rajasthan a large share of freezes are requested by cyber cells in other states. Knowing who to write to, and in what form, is most of the work in a frozen-account matter.
Whether you can show the transaction was genuine
For a frozen account, innocence is not argued — it is documented. An invoice, a delivery record and a clean paper trail move an officer; a letter asserting good faith does not.
What I will do
- Tell you in the first call whether the money is still recoverable or whether the matter has moved to prosecution
- Draft the complaint and the follow-up so the investigating officer has something they can act on, not a narrative
- Pursue the release of a lien-marked account with the requesting agency, including cells outside Rajasthan
- Move the jurisdictional magistrate for release of the account where the officer does not act, and the High Court where a freeze simply continues without review
- Assemble the electronic evidence with the certificate it needs, before it is filed rather than after it is rejected
What you will need to bring
- The 1930 acknowledgement and the cybercrime.gov.in complaint number
- Bank statement showing the disputed entries, and the written freeze confirmation from your branch
- The transaction references, the counterparty's number, and the original chats — not screenshots alone
- For a business account: invoices, GST records and delivery proof for the credit in question
Mistakes that cost people these cases
- Calling the bank repeatedly. The bank did not freeze the account and cannot lift it — the requesting agency can
- Paying anyone who offers to get an account released for a fee. There is no informal route
- Deleting the chat, the app or the caller's number in anger — that is the evidence
- Paying a blackmailer. It has never ended a sextortion demand and it funds the next one
When you may not need me
If the fraud happened in the last few hours, do not spend the time finding a lawyer first. Call 1930 and file on cybercrime.gov.in yourself, then call me. Those two steps cost nothing and no advocate can do them faster than you can.
Matters handled
- UPI and net-banking fraud
- Fake investment and trading app scams
- “Digital arrest” and fake CBI calls
- Sextortion and online blackmail
- Defamation and impersonation on social media
Provisions that apply
- IT Act 66C — Identity theft
- IT Act 66D — Cheating by impersonation using a computer
- BNS 318 — Cheating
- BSA 63 — Certificate required for electronic evidence
If this is not your matter
High Court appeals
A lower court has decided against me
Arrest & bail
Someone has been arrested, or an FIR is filed
Divorce & family
My marriage has broken down
Property
There is a dispute over land or property
Cheque bounce and money recovery
A cheque has bounced, or someone owes me money
Tell me what has happened
A few lines is enough. If it is urgent — an arrest, a frozen account, a notice with a date on it — call rather than write.