Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 17 : A 72-year-old businessman from Mumbai was duped of ₹58.13 crore in the largest Digital Arrest fraud ever reported in India, leading the Maharashtra Police to bust a scam and arrest seven individuals involved in the racket.
The scammers allegedly posed as law enforcement officials, duping victims into transferring money into fake accounts.
The nodal agency for cybersecurity and enforcement of cybercrime in the state of Maharashtra, Office of the Additional Director General of Police, Maharashtra State Cyber Department, initiated a multi-pronged investigation after the senior citizen approached them with a complaint about being digitally arrested and losing money.
In this case, Maharashtra Cyber has registered a criminal offence under section 61(2), 112, 126(2), 204, 205, 308(2), 316(2), 318(4), 336(2), 336(2), 338, 340(2), 351(2) Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 r/w 66(C), 66(D) Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000.
The complainant received a call from an international number impersonating a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) officer. The caller alleged that the victim's mobile number was being misused to send illegal messages. The call was then transferred to another individual posing as an officer from the Mumbai Crime Branch, who falsely claimed that the victim's bank accounts were being used for money laundering activities.
Under this fabricated narrative, the victim was told that to avoid a "digital arrest," he must transfer funds to a designated account, which would be refunded after a so-called "verification procedure."
To lend credibility to the fraud, the accused orchestrated an elaborate fake police station and court proceeding via video calls, with other fraudsters impersonating police officials and even court judges. Believing the staged proceedings to be genuine, the victim, under fear and psychological pressure, transferred a total of ₹58,13,50,000 over a span of 40 days, losing his entire life savings.
Taking cognisance of the matter, Maharashtra Cyber initiated a multi-pronged investigation. Technical and financial trails were pursued simultaneously. Call Detail Records (CDR), Subscriber Detail Records (SDR), Customer Acquisition Forms (CAF), and Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDR) of the fraudulent numbers were obtained and analysed.
The technical analysis revealed that the calls originated from foreign IP addresses routed through VPNs and TOR networks, confirming the use of sophisticated anonymisation techniques.
On the financial front, an exhaustive analysis of banking transactions, KYC records, and statements of multiple linked accounts revealed a complex network of over 6,500 money mule accounts spread across 13 layers.
These were predominantly current accounts opened in the names of shell companies to facilitate high-value transactions without scrutiny. Through detailed financial forensics, Maharashtra Cyber successfully traced the end beneficiaries of several of these accounts, leading to the arrest of seven accused individuals.
These individuals were directly linked to the fraudulent financial network, having either opened or operated money mule accounts in their names, received proceeds in the initial layers of transactions, or facilitated fund movement by sourcing and managing such accounts for the syndicate.
The arrested accused individuals are Sheikh Shahid Abdul Salam (19 years old), Jafar Akbar Sayyed (33 years old), Abdul Nasir Abdul Karim Khulli (51 years old), Arjun Fojiram Kadwasara (52 years old), Jetharam Rahinga Kadwasara (35 years old), Imran Ismail Sheikh (22 years old), and Mohammed Naved Sheikh (26 years old).
So far, ₹3.5 crore of the defrauded amount has been successfully frozen and lien-marked. Efforts are underway to identify the mastermind orchestrating the operation.
The role of the branch manager of the victim's bank is also under investigation to determine possible negligence or complicity in the fraudulent transfers. Maharashtra Cyber continues to pursue all leads, working tirelessly to systematically dismantle the cross-border network, which operates with an alarming modus operandi of cybercrime.
Maharashtra Cyber urges citizens to remain vigilant and never believe calls from individuals impersonating government or law enforcement officials. Citizens are advised not to transfer money under threat of digital arrest or similar claims.
In the event of any such call, they are encouraged to immediately dial 1930 or report the incident on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in).
Maharashtra Cyber remains committed to protecting the digital and financial safety of citizens through prompt, coordinated, and technology-driven investigations.
In recent years, digital arrest fraud has emerged as one of the most alarming forms of high-value financial crime in the country.
These scams typically involve large-ticket frauds wherein organised cyber syndicates impersonate law enforcement or government officials to extort substantial sums of money from victims under the false pretext of avoiding "digital arrest" in fabricated criminal cases, as stated in the release.
The frequency, sophistication, and financial magnitude of such cases have witnessed a sharp rise across India, with multiple citizens, particularly senior citizens, losing their life savings to these meticulously orchestrated rackets.