Key Points

The CBI had registered a comprehensive FIR based on complaints received on the NCRP Portal of the I4C MHA from nine different victims of digital arrest. The CBI then conducted a detailed investigation, focusing on both mule accounts and the telecommunication channels used to approach the victim.

This led to the identification of approximately 40 individuals who were part of the organised cybercrime network perpetrating the digital arrest fraud.

During the operation, the CBI has unearthed an extensive domestic facilitation network found to be involved in supplying mule bank accounts and enabling parallel hawala channels for layering and the movement of proceeds of crime.

Investigation has revealed that part of the money had been withdrawn in India, and the remaining was sent abroad, to be then withdrawn from foreign ATMs.

Analysis of more than 15,000 IP addresses revealed that the perpetrators of the digital arrest frauds were operating from foreign locations, including Cambodia, and using Indian mule account holders to carry out layering and integration of the proceeds of crime. The network was found to have facilitated high-value fund flows through coordinated mules and money transfer agents, with high-speed money movement carried out using Fintech infrastructure.

Digital devices, KYC documents, SIM cards, and WhatsApp communication archives recovered during the searches are being examined to establish end-to-end linkages among domestic facilitators and main conspirators, and to map the modus operandi, financial trails, and communication infrastructure used in the offence.

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.

- ANI