New Delhi, 04 September (H.S.): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched a nationwide crackdown on syndicates operating behind the growing menace of “digital arrest” scams. The agency has taken major action in several cases involving different states. In connection with three such cases, the CBI conducted extensive and coordinated searches at 89 locations across 20 states. Three people have been arrested during the operation.

One of the three cases is linked to BITS Pilani. In this case, the victim was allegedly kept under “digital arrest” for three months, while scammers posing as police officers defrauded the victim of Rs 7.67 crore. In another case, scammers allegedly kept a victim in Gujarat under “digital arrest” for three months and, while posing as police officers, cheated the victim of Rs 19.24 crore. The third case is related to Karnataka, where the victim was allegedly kept under “digital arrest” for one month and defrauded of Rs 15.45 crore.

According to the CBI, the operation involved simultaneous action to trace fraudulently obtained funds, identify the beneficiaries and operators behind the syndicate, and seize evidence before it could be destroyed. Three accused were arrested during the operation. Interrogation conducted during the searches revealed their specific and significant roles in receiving, layering and transferring the proceeds of the fraud.

An amount of Rs 1.95 crore from the fraudulent proceeds was credited to the account of Aakash, a resident of Haryana. He had opened the account himself and transferred the money rapidly to other accounts on the same day, indicating his direct and deliberate role in the money-laundering process.

Raja Karmakar of Kolkata received Rs 1.5 crore of the fraud proceeds in his firm’s account. A portion of the fraudulent funds was also deposited into the account of Jyoti Rani. She withdrew some of the money in cash and transferred the remaining amount to other accounts.

During the searches, crucial banking documents, account-related records, digital devices and other important evidence were seized. The evidence is now undergoing forensic examination to uncover the wider financial and technological network operating the “digital arrest” syndicate across different states. Efforts are continuing to identify and apprehend the remaining accused involved in the larger network.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar