CBI arrests 2 more members of gang involved in ₹7.6 cr 'digital arrest' scam

New Delhi, The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested two more members of a syndicate operating a "digital arrest" scam, through which they allegedly extorted ₹7.67 crore from a victim, officials said on Monday.

The central investigating agency arrested four members of the gang last month during 'Operation Chakra V', they said.

In a digital arrest scam, cyber criminals posing as law enforcement officers inform the victims about a sham crime in which their name has cropped up, coercing them over video call to transfer money.

During searches conducted in April, the CBI uncovered a large-scale criminal enterprise involved in the illicit procurement and distribution of SIM cards and mule bank accounts, the officials said.

These were being exploited to carry out digital arrests and perpetrate various other forms of cybercrime, the CBI said in a statement on Monday.

To expose the conspiracy, the agency subjected the four suspects arrested in April to rigorous interrogation, which led the investigators to their hideouts in Mumbai, from where two more gang members were arrested, it said.

The CBI also seized "sophisticated digital tools" allegedly employed in orchestrating the cybercrime operations, the statement said.

The investigation was transferred to the CBI by the Rajasthan government following a complaint from a victim, who was "digitally arrested" by cybercriminals impersonating law enforcement officers.

The fraudsters extorted ₹7.67 crore from the individual between October 2023 and January 2024.

The CBI undertook a meticulous inquiry involving extensive data analysis and profiling since taking over the case, the officials said.

"The CBI employed advanced investigative techniques to identify the perpetrators. Based on the leads generated during the investigation, the CBI recently conducted extensive searches across 12 locations in Moradabad and Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, Krishnanagar in West Bengal, Mumbai and Jaipur, leading to the arrest of four individuals involved in this highly organised crime syndicate,” an agency spokesperson said following the April searches.

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