Youtuber Ankush Bahuguna has shared a video on Instagram where he said he was held hostage for nearly 40 hours in a digital arrest scam.

In the video, Bahuguna could be heard sharing his experience with his followers and how it left him shaken.

In his Instagram post, along with the video, he said: "Pls don’t ever think ‘how could this happen to me, I’m so stupid’ because you are brave enough to admit this on SM just to make others aware & the kind of reach you have I’m sure lots of people will benefit from your video & save themselves."

"Much love and hope you put this behind you soon. You’ve been through awful stuff. Blessed though to have friends who saved you ultimately," he said.

The Youtuber said he could not believe such an incident happened to him.

"I am still in a little bit of shock. I have lost money. I have lost my mental health to this. I can't believe this happened to me. I was under 'digital arrest' for about 40 hours," he said in the video.

Also Read: Woman duped of Rs 11 lakh in 'digital arrest fraud', UP Police starts probe into new cyber fraud trend

He claimed scammers called him and said illegal items were found in his package which was being shipped to China.

He said the scammers said customs had seized the article.

Narendra Modi cautions countrymen against digital arrest

Last year, Indian PM Narendra Modi cautioned countrymen about the scam.

Emphasizing the seriousness of the issue, he urged citizens to adopt a 'wait, think, and take action' approach when faced with such scams.

The term "digital arrest" describes a cybercrime in which scammers impersonate law enforcement officials and threaten victims with arrest unless they pay a certain amount. Reports of this scam have been on the rise nationwide.