Digital arrest scams: UP STF nabs key member of cyber fraud syndicate in Lucknow
Officials said his arrest marks the latest breakthrough in the investigation. Two other accused -- Mohammad Iqbal and Shine Iqbal -- were arrested earlier on July 24, 2025, from Thane (Maharashtra).
The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a key operative of an organised cyber fraud syndicate whose members posed as police, narcotics and crime branch officials to extort money through “digital arrest” scams. The accused, Pradeep Soni, 40, was arrested near a mall on Shaheed Path in Lucknow on Thursday night, according to an official statement issued on Friday.
Soni, a resident of Vidisha district in Madhya Pradesh, is alleged to be part of a network that “digitally detained” victims over WhatsApp video calls, threatened them with fabricated legal cases, and forced them to transfer large sums into accounts controlled by the gang. Officials said his arrest marks the latest breakthrough in the investigation. Two other accused -- Mohammad Iqbal and Shine Iqbal -- were arrested earlier on July 24, 2025, from Thane (Maharashtra).
According to the STF, the gang members impersonated officials of law enforcement agencies and used forged documents to trap victims. In one case, BN Singh, a 76-year-old retired doctor in Lucknow, received a WhatsApp call on April 6, 2025, and was told that an illegal parcel had been booked in his name. The fraudsters then connected him to a fake “investigating officer” who appeared on video in a police uniform.
Over the next three days, the gang kept Singh under constant video surveillance, warning him against contacting anyone and threatening to harm his family. They later sent him a forged Reserve Bank of India letter and forced him to transfer ₹95 lakh to a designated account. An analysis of the bank trail revealed that the gang routed ₹1.4 crore of fraud proceeds through 11 layers of accounts to obscure the money trail, officials said.
During interrogation, Soni admitted to joining the racket after losing his job at a jewellery store in 2024. Lured by high commissions, he supplied more than 20 bank account kits (ATM cards, cheque books, registered SIMs, net banking credentials) to the gang leaders. He also withdrew cash using ATM cards, deposited money as instructed, and helped convert fraud proceeds into cryptocurrency. He used aliases such as Manohar and Sanju, while other members went by names such as Bittu and Rahul. The group communicated primarily via WhatsApp and frequently formatted their phones to destroy evidence, officials added.
According to officials, Soni has been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Section 66D of the IT Act at the Cyber Crime police station in Lucknow. His digital devices will undergo forensic examination, and efforts are underway to identify and arrest the remaining members of the syndicate.
