In “digital arrest” fraud, criminals make phone/video calls to potential targets, which are officials from various law enforcement and regulatory agencies such as the Reserve Bank of India. |Picture source: Getty Images
The CBI arrested four people, two from Mumbai and Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh) for allegedly involved in the “digital arrest” fraud.
As part of the “Chakra V Operation V,” the arrests were searched at 12 locations.
The CBI has registered several “digital arrest” cases. The agency took over the immediate case regarding the Rajasthan government’s request. It was earlier registered by the Cyber Police (Jhunjhunu).
The victim was allegedly “detained digitally” for three months by cybercriminals deemed to be personnel of various law enforcement agencies. During this period, the victims were extorted 42 times, totaling Rs 7.667 crore.
After taking over the case, the CBI analyzed available data and profiles of the suspicious suspects. Advanced investigation techniques are used to identify perpetrators. According to the findings, the agency recently conducted extensive searches at 12 locations in Moradabad and at Sambhal in UP, Mumbai, Jaipur and Krishnanagar, resulting in the arrest of four people.
“During these searches, a large amount of material was captured, including bank account details, debit cards, checkbooks, deposit slips and digital devices/evidence. The arrested person was born in the competent court and has been entrusted to five days of police custody.”
In his “Mann Ki Baat” speech last October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned people against “digital arrests” of fraud, committed to fraudulent victims of their hard-earned money and asked them to claim compensation from the Hotline.
In this scam, the fraudster makes a telephone/video call to potential targets, which is posed by officials from various law enforcement agencies and regulators such as the Reserve Bank of India.
Initially, they collected personal information from potential victims, and the second step was to show their own atmosphere of fear in the inquiry agent uniform, with government offices such as background and citations of legal provisions. The offenders claimed they were “digital arrests” for the crime and extorted them from their “custody” of “release”, putting psychological pressure on the victims.
publishing – April 15, 2025 01:05 pm ist
