Two more held by CBI for ₹11.42 cr 'digital arrest' case in Gujarat

Two more held by CBI for ₹11.42 cr 'digital arrest' case in Gujarat

New Delhi, The CBI has arrested two more persons in a ₹11.42 crore "digital arrest" case in Gujarat after conducting coordinated searches at 22 locations across 10 states as part of its nationwide crackdown on cybercrime under Operation Chakra-VI, officials said Sunday.

Two more held by CBI for ₹11.42 cr 'digital arrest' case in Gujarat

Himanshu Prasad and Unis Biswas allegedly "used the bank account of M/s Hexaquest Global Pvt Ltd to receive ₹2.5 crore out of the ₹11.42 crore defrauded from the victim, and actively participated in transferring the funds onward to multiple accounts of their accomplices with the intent of obscuring the money trail", a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.

The agency said both accused were allegedly involved in using bank accounts and installing K files to siphon off proceeds generated through digital arrest frauds and other cybercrimes.

"Several incriminating chats, messages and documents have also been recovered from the digital devices seized from their possession. Efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the remaining members of the network," it said.

The CBI action targeted syndicates involved in "digital arrest" crimes, in which victims are allegedly detained online by criminals impersonating law enforcement and government officials and coerced into transferring money.

In the Gujarat case, the CBI alleged, that the victim was allegedly kept under "digital arrest" for three months by cybercriminals posing as police officers and officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, or TRAI.

The victim was allegedly coerced into transferring ₹11.42 crore to accounts controlled by the syndicate, the CBI spokesperson said.

The agency conducted searches based on detailed financial and technical analysis of the money trail.

"The searches ... led to the seizure of incriminating banking documents, account-related records, digital devices and other crucial evidence," the spokesperson said.

The seized material is being examined forensically to trace what the agency described as the wider financial and technological infrastructure supporting digital arrest syndicates operating across state boundaries, it said.

The agency said the Supreme Court, taking note of the scale of "digital arrest" crimes, directed the CBI to take concerted action against perpetrators and networks facilitating such offenses.

In four such cases, the CBI said it has conducted coordinated searches at 142 locations across 22 states during the past 30 days and arrested 17 accused persons.

The operations were aimed at tracing the proceeds of crime, identifying beneficiaries and handlers behind the syndicates and securing evidence before it could be destroyed, the agency said.

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