CBI arrests two key operatives linked to digital arrest syndicate that duped man of ₹7.67 crore
This scam involves criminals impersonating law enforcement officials to intimidate and trap victims. Believing they are under official investigation, victims are virtually “detained”—monitored and manipulated into transferring money under the guise of legal compliance
MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two key operatives of an organised crime syndicate in Mumbai that allegedly extorted ₹7.67 crore from a victim by placing them under a ‘digital arrest’—a cyber fraud.
The arrests followed a series of coordinated raids across the city, conducted based on intelligence extracted from four other accused who were apprehended last month. According to officials, the two latest arrests target “important operatives” of the syndicate, which ran a sophisticated cyber-extortion racket spanning multiple states.
What is a ‘digital arrest’?
This scam involves criminals impersonating law enforcement officials to intimidate and trap victims. Believing they are under official investigation, victims are virtually “detained”—monitored and manipulated into transferring money under the guise of legal compliance. In this case, the syndicate allegedly extorted money from the victim 42 times between October 2023 and January 2024.
The CBI took over the case following a formal request from the Rajasthan government, where the crime was first reported. The victim, a resident of Rajasthan, was psychologically coerced into paying ₹7.67 crore to the fraudsters during this period of digital captivity.
Crackdown and seizures
During the latest round of searches, investigators recovered advanced digital equipment suspected to have been used in executing the cyber fraud. The CBI believes the syndicate also operated a parallel illegal network that supplied fake SIM cards and “mule” bank accounts—used to receive and launder the extorted funds.
“The CBI remains committed to dismantling cybercrime syndicates with thorough and impartial investigation,” said a senior official.
The two newly arrested accused have been remanded to eight days’ CBI custody by a competent court in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, where the case originated.
With these arrests, the total number of individuals nabbed in the case has risen to six. Last month, the CBI arrested two accused from Mumbai and two others from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. Investigators say these arrests led to crucial leads that helped expose a wider racket specialising in digital fraud, identity theft, and financial deception.
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