Delhi HC flags key role of accused as probes widen into ‘digital arrest’ scams
The Delhi High Court has observed that suspects in the capital’s biggest “digital arrest” scam cannot be regarded as minor participants and “seem to be important cogs of the conspiratorial wheel,” underscoring the scale and coordination of a fraud that has drawn national attention.
In a related push, the Central Bureau of Investigation conducted searches at five locations across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where investigators allegedly seized incriminating documents and electronic devices linked to the accused.
Authorities have also said a coordination centre will function on the lines of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs, reflecting a bid to strengthen the response to tech-enabled frauds. Courts beyond the capital are also handling fallout from these schemes.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court heard a regular bail plea filed by a man accused in a “digital arrest” scam in which a retired principal was defrauded of Rs 3.03 crore. In another instance, fraudsters allegedly used a malicious APK file and a photo of a victim’s debit card to drain his account in three transactions.
Police have registered five FIRs based on five separate complaints filed by house owners and landlords since March 17, they said.
In one case, a man named Sangamesh offered to secure a monthly dole of Rs 2,000, asked a woman to open a new bank account and took Rs 12,000 for “processing formalities.” In Mumbai, a 73-year-old man received WhatsApp messages from an unknown number claiming his gas bill was unpaid and warning his connection would be disconnected by the evening.
In yet another case, a couple were forced over 10 to 12 days into making large transfers to mule accounts and told the money would be returned immediately after a purported probe. Such frauds have been serious enough to be flagged at the highest levels, including by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat address.
With multiple investigations ongoing and a coordination centre planned on I4C lines, authorities are signaling a more structured approach to tackling the widening web of “digital arrest” and related cybercrime across India.