NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday said it has arrested four kingpins in a major ‘digital arrest’ case, where a victim was extorted 42 times over three months to the tune of Rs 7.67 crore by cyber-criminals posing as law enforcement officers.
The case, originally registered at the Cyber Police Station in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, was taken over by the CBI at the request of the Rajasthan government. Officials said the victim was digitally detained by cyber fraudsters impersonating personnel from various enforcement agencies.
The arrests, two each from Mumbai and Moradabad, were made as part of the CBI’s ongoing Operation Chakra-V. Extensive follow-up search operations were carried out at 12 locations across the country, including Moradabad and Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai in Maharashtra, Jaipur in Rajasthan and Krishnanagar in West Bengal.
“Upon taking over the case, the CBI sleuths conducted an in-depth investigation involving extensive data analysis and profiling. The agency employed advanced investigative techniques to identify the perpetrators," a senior official said.
"Based on the leads generated during the investigation, the CBI conducted extensive searches recently, across twelve locations in Moradabad and Sambhal in UP, Mumbai in Maharashtra, Jaipur in Rajasthan and Krishnanagar in West Bengal, leading to the arrest of four accused involved in this highly organised crime syndicate,”
During the searches, the CBI recovered substantive evidence including bank account details, debit cards, cheque books, deposit slips and digital devices. The arrested accused were produced before a competent court and have been remanded to five days of CBI custody.
As the investigation continues, the CBI reiterated its resolve to combat the rising threat of cybercrime and ‘digital arrests’.
“The CBI has been adopting a multi-pronged approach in investigating ‘Digital Arrest’ cases, with a special emphasis on dismantling the infrastructure behind such offences. In recent months, the CBI has registered multiple cases of Digital Arrests,” the official said.