Central bureau of investigation (CBI) has intensified its crackdown on the fast-spreading menace of 'digital arrest' scams, conducting nationwide searches at around 40 locations across Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala and West Bengal. The coordinated action, carried out under 'Operation Chakra-V', targeted an organised cybercrime network accused of defrauding Indian citizens through sophisticated, transnational online extortion schemes.
CBI says it had registered a comprehensive first information report (FIR) following multiple complaints from victims received on the national cybercrime reporting portal (NCRP) of the Indian cybercrime coordination centre (I4C) of Union ministry of home affairs (MHA). The agency launched a detailed probe focusing on mule bank accounts and telecommunication channels used to contact victims and facilitate financial transfers.
This investigation led to the identification of around 40 individuals suspected to be part of the organised network perpetrating the so-called 'digital arrest' frauds, where victims are coerced by impersonators posing as law enforcement officers into transferring money under threat of fake criminal charges or arrests.
During the operation, CBI uncovered an extensive domestic facilitation network involved in supplying mule bank accounts and enabling hawala-based money movement. The network is alleged to have played a key role in layering and laundering the proceeds of crime, helping fraudsters disguise illicit funds as legitimate transactions.
The agency’s preliminary findings indicate that part of the defrauded money was withdrawn in India, while the remainder was transferred abroad and withdrawn from automated teller machines (ATMs) located in foreign jurisdictions.
According to CBI officials, analysis of more than 15,000 IP addresses revealed that the masterminds behind these digital arrest scams operated from foreign bases, including Cambodia, while relying on Indian mule account-holders and money transfer agents to execute high-speed fund movements using fintech infrastructure.
“The network supported large-scale fund flows through coordinated mules and digital payment channels,” a CBI official says, adding that these transactions were designed to evade detection by financial monitoring systems.
Searches conducted during the operation led to the recovery of digital devices, know-your-customer (KYC) documents, SIM cards, and WhatsApp communication records, which are now being examined by CBI’s digital forensics teams. The evidence is expected to help investigators map the modus operandi, trace financial trails and establish end-to-end linkages between domestic facilitators and the main conspirators based abroad.
The agency says the operation was part of a sustained effort to dismantle cyber-enabled transnational fraud networks that have defrauded scores of victims across India by exploiting digital communication platforms.
The current action forms part of Operation Chakra-V, a nationwide initiative led by CBI to counter cyber-enabled financial crimes and dismantle international scam networks targeting Indian citizens. The agency has been working closely with other law enforcement bodies and international partners to trace financial flows, freeze assets and prosecute offenders.
“CBI remains committed to combating cyber-enabled financial crimes through sustained intelligence-led operations, inter-agency coordination, and the use of advanced digital forensics to counter complex transnational fraud networks,” it says in an official statement.
The so-called 'digital arrest' scam has emerged as one of the most dangerous forms of cyber fraud in India. Victims are, typically, contacted through phone calls or video calls by individuals posing as police or enforcement officers. These scammers claim the victims are involved in crimes such as money laundering or drug trafficking and demand online payments to avoid arrest.
Law enforcement agencies have warned that there is no concept of 'digital arrest' or 'online arrest' under Indian law, and any such threat is a part of criminal extortion attempts.
