CHENNAI: The Cyber Crime Wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested IAM Azarudeen (40) of Ramasamy Street, Mannady, on Tuesday for swindling a Nolambur resident of Rs 1 crore through digital arrest.
The police said that the victim M Sathiyamoorthy (60) was contacted on November 27, 2025, by fraudsters posing as anti-terrorism squad (ATS) and NIA officials. They accused him of leaking sensitive information and threatened him with arrest. He was instructed to download the Signal app and transfer money from his fixed deposit accounts for “verification.”
Believing their claims, Sathiyamoorthy transferred Rs 1 crore to bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. When the suspects later sent a fake bail order and demanded more money, he grew suspicious and filed a complaint with the Chennai Police Commissioner’s Office on December 5, 2025. A case was registered by the CCB Cyber Crime police.
The probe revealed that the money was routed through multiple mule accounts and transferred to accounts in Haridwar and Rajasthan.
Investigators found Azarudeen, an electronics and mobile phone trader at Burma Bazaar, had arranged over 40 bank accounts to route the proceeds and received commissions for facilitating transactions and cash withdrawals. He is believed to have earned about Rs 1.2 lakh as commission.
Further investigation is on to trace other suspects and recover the money. The police advised the public not to fall for digital arrest scams and report cyber fraud on helpline 1930 or www.cybercrime.gov.in.