CBI arrests two in Gujarat digital arrest case after searches in 10 states

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two more accused in a major ‘digital arrest’ case linked to a cybercrime syndicate that allegedly duped a victim of Rs 11.42 crore.

As part of its nationwide crackdown under Operation Chakra-VI, the agency conducted coordinated searches at 22 locations across 10 states in connection with the case. The action followed a detailed analysis of the financial transactions and technical trail linked to the fraud.

According to the CBI, the victim was allegedly kept under “digital arrest” for three months by cybercriminals posing as police officers and officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The victim was allegedly coerced into transferring Rs 11.42 crore to bank accounts controlled by the syndicate.

The two arrested accused have been identified as Himanshu Prasad and Unis Biswas. The CBI said its investigation found that the duo allegedly played a role in receiving, layering and transferring the proceeds of the crime.

The agency said a bank account belonging to M/s Hexaquest Global Pvt. Ltd. was allegedly used to receive Rs 2.5 crore from the amount defrauded from the victim. The accused allegedly transferred the money to multiple accounts linked to their associates in an attempt to conceal the money trail.

During the searches, the CBI seized banking documents, account-related records, digital devices and other material suspected to be linked to the crime. The seized devices are being forensically examined.

The investigation also found that the accused allegedly used bank accounts and installed APK files to siphon off money generated through digital arrest frauds and other cybercrimes. Several chats, messages and documents were also recovered from the seized devices, the agency said.

The CBI is now working to identify and apprehend other members of the alleged network.

The agency said it has taken over several digital arrest cases from different states involving victims who were allegedly detained online by criminals impersonating law-enforcement and government officials and forced to transfer large sums of money.

In four such cases, the CBI has conducted searches at 142 locations across 22 states and arrested 17 accused persons over the past 30 days, according to the agency.

The crackdown comes amid growing concern over digital arrest scams, in which fraudsters impersonate police officers, CBI officials, TRAI representatives and other government authorities to intimidate victims into transferring money. The investigation is continuing. DeshGujarat