# "Police here. Your son is arrested." Pay on the phone?

> Hang up and call your son. Bail is a bond given at the police station or in court under the CrPC, never a phone transfer. Pretending to be police is a crime under section 170 PPC, and taking money this way adds sections 419 and 420 PPC and section 14 of PECA.

- Topic: Cyber crime
- For: Citizens
- A 12-slide carousel: https://failegal.site/media/police-here-your-son-is-arrested-pay-on-the-scamcall
- Published by FAI Legal on 2026-11-08

## Hang up. Call your son.

Bail is a bond before an officer or a court. Not a phone transfer.

- **The call** A stranger, a crying voice, a deadline, a mobile wallet number.
- **The law** Bail is given under the CrPC, at the police station or in court.
- **Your move** Hang up. Call your son, or the station, yourself.

## The scammer's script.

Four moves, every time.

- **Fear** Your son is in a case, or in an accident.
- **Rush** Pay in 10 minutes or he goes to jail.
- **Secrecy** Do not tell anyone, or it gets worse.
- **Pay** Send it to this JazzCash or Easypaisa number.

## Fake police is a crime.

Section 170, PPC.

> "Whoever pretends to hold any particular office as a public servant, knowing that he does not hold such office ... and in such assumed character does or attempts to do any act under colour of such office, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description, for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both." (Pakistan Penal Code · Section 170)

## He took your money?

Three more crimes on the same call.

- **Cheating by personation** Section 419, PPC. Up to 7 years, or fine, or both.
- **Cheating for property** Section 420, PPC. Up to 7 years, and fine.
- **Electronic fraud** Section 14, PECA 2016. Up to 2 years, or fine up to Rs 10 million, or both.

## Was he really arrested?

Then the law gives the police 24 hours at most.

- **Section 61, CrPC** No one arrested without warrant is held past 24 hours without a Magistrate's order.
- **Section 496, CrPC** In a bailable case, he is released on bail when he offers it.
- **Where** At the police station or before a court. Not on a phone call.

## Myth or fact?

What a scared parent thinks.

- **Myth: If I pay fast, the case goes away.**
- **Fact: A phone payment closes no case. If the case is real, the CrPC route applies. If it is fake, the money is gone.**

## Quick quiz. First move?

Guess first, then swipe for the answer.

- **A. Pay, then check**
- **B. Hang up and call your son**
- **C. Keep him talking**

## Answer: B. Check first.

A name and a school are easy to find online.

- **Call your son** Or someone who is with him.
- **Call the station** On a number you find yourself, not one the caller gives.
- **Share nothing** No CNIC, no OTP, no bank details.

## Save this. The 4-step rule.

Put it on the family group.

- **Stop** Do not pay while the caller is on the line.
- **Hang up** Fear and rush are his tools.
- **Check** Call your family and the station yourself.
- **Keep proof** The number, the account, the screenshots. Then report it.

## It happened to you?

Ask FAI for the exact sections and your next step.

- **A man called pretending to be police and took Rs 30,000 from my mother. What can we do?**
- **Which law covers a fake police call for money?**

## Sources

- Pakistan Penal Code · Section 170: Personating a public servant

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Educational legal information, not legal advice. Every case turns on its own facts. Speak to a qualified lawyer about your situation. Review status: Pending advocate review.

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