Three held for digital arrest cyber fraud; Pakistan links found
Delhi Police’s Rohini Cyber Police Station busted a cyber fraud syndicate allegedly linked to a Pakistan-based handler, arresting three men accused of facilitating a sophisticated “digital arrest” scam that cheated a Delhi resident of over Rs 15 lakh, officials said on Tuesday.
Investigators said the alleged mastermind, Mohammad Noor Alam, was in regular contact with a Pakistan-based associate identified as Bilal, to whom the proceeds of cyber fraud were allegedly transferred after being converted into cryptocurrency. Police said the gang operated as a key financial conduit for cybercriminals by arranging mule bank accounts, routing stolen funds, and converting the money into USDT before sending it overseas.
The arrests followed a complaint lodged on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) by a victim who alleged that a fake law-enforcement investigation duped him of Rs 15.31 lakh.
According to police, the fraud began on January 8 when the complainant received a call from a woman posing as a telecom company employee. She claimed that a mobile number issued using his Aadhaar card was being used for illegal online gaming activities in Bengaluru. The call was then transferred to a man posing as a sub-inspector from the Indira Nagar Police Station in Bengaluru.
The fraudsters told the victim that four bank accounts had allegedly been opened using his Aadhaar credentials and linked to a money laundering case involving a person named Hitesh Mehta. To make the story appear credible, the victim was connected via video calls to several individuals impersonating senior police officers and government officials.
Police said the fraudsters employed a tactic commonly known as “digital arrest”, in which victims are psychologically controlled through continuous monitoring and threats of criminal action. The complainant was allegedly kept under constant video surveillance and warned not to disclose the purported investigation to anyone.
The scammers allegedly coerced him into revealing details of all his financial assets, including bank accounts, fixed deposits, mutual funds and shareholdings. Claiming that the money had to be verified by RBI auditors, they convinced him to liquidate his investments prematurely and transfer the funds to designated accounts. To reinforce the deception, fake RBI receipts were sent to him as proof that the money would be returned after verification.
Between January 9 and January 16, the victim transferred Rs 15,31,997 to multiple bank accounts and UPI IDs provided by the fraudsters. He later realised that he had been cheated and approached the authorities.
During the investigation, police traced two beneficiary accounts that received part of the fraud proceeds - a Union Bank account that received `1.98 lakh and another account that received Rs 98,000.
Technical analysis revealed that the mobile numbers linked to both accounts were operating from the same device and were located in Ismailpur, Faridabad.
Based on technical surveillance and local intelligence, police teams conducted raids in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, arresting Ankit, 23, of Kannauj; Saif Ansari, 24, of Kanpur; and Noor Alam, 24, of Delhi.
During interrogation, Ankit allegedly disclosed that he worked for Noor Alam, who sourced and supplied mule bank accounts for cyber fraud operations. Police said Noor Alam arranged bank accounts, SIM cards, Aadhaar copies, and consent documents that were used to receive proceeds of fraud.
Three mobile phones were seized, and Rs 1,03,142 linked to the fraud was frozen.
DCP Shashank Jaiswal said, “The accused facilitated cyber fraud by arranging mule accounts and routing the proceeds through cryptocurrency channels. The Pakistan link that emerged during the investigation is being examined in detail.” He added that efforts are underway to identify other network members and trace the complete money trail.
