Central Bureau of Investigation vs. Accused — Digital Arrest Fraud Case (Pan-India)

CBI chargesheeted 33 accused in a cyber fraud case involving a Delhi executive defrauded of Rs 50 lakh. The scheme used fake 'digital arrest' claims to extort money. The accused include proprietors of dummy firms, technical handlers, and money mules who routed funds.

A key accused in a high-profile 'digital arrest' fraud case was arrested by the Cyber Crime Police in Hyderabad. The case involves a sophisticated online fraud scheme targeting victims through impersonation.

The Supreme Court registered a suo motu case in October 2025 after a senior citizen couple from Haryana reported being defrauded of Rs 1.5 crore in a digital arrest scam. The Court issued 13-point directions to combat such scams nationwide, recognizing this as a widespread issue affecting multiple states and directing RBI, banks, and state authorities to implement urgent SOPs and cybercrime coordination mechanisms.

A 25-year-old man named Rafikul Alam from Assam was arrested by Gujarat CID's Cyber Centre for his alleged involvement in a digital arrest cyber fraud network. He is linked to 1,090 digital arrest cyber fraud cases worth Rs 1,071 crore across India. Three FIRs were registered against him under the Information Technology Act.

The Enforcement Directorate uncovered a pan-India organised network of cyber fraudsters operating digital arrest scams, affecting over 330 victims and resulting in losses exceeding Rs 400 crore. The network is subject to over 163 FIRs across 20 states and Union Territories.

The CBI arrested three accused, including Mohammad Mushtaque described as a 'shell company operator,' in nationwide raids following a Rs 1.86-crore digital arrest fraud. The case involves a 76-year-old widowed pensioner allegedly cheated of Rs 1.64 crore in Delhi.