Digital arrest scam: CBI nabs 4 persons for extorting ₹7.67 crore in Operation Chakra-V

CBI said the detectives conducted an in-depth investigation involving extensive data analysis and profiling after taking over the Rajasthan case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested four people following searches at 12 locations on charges of extorting ₹7.67 crore through digital arrest scams.

On the request of the Rajasthan government, the agency initiated “Operation Chakra-V” after registering an FIR and nabbed two persons each from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai, CBI officials stated. This is one of the several cases the CBI has registered to unravel digital arrest scams, a CBI spokesperson said.

The accused allegedly extorted a total of ₹7.67 crore in 42 instalments as the probe indicated that the victim was digitally detained for over three months by cybercriminals posing as personnel of various law enforcement agencies.

“The CBI has been adopting a multi-pronged approach in investigating digital arrest cases, with a special emphasis on dismantling the infrastructure behind such offences,” the CBI spokesperson’s statement read.

The agency said the sleuths conducted an in-depth investigation involving extensive data analysis and profiling after taking over the Rajasthan case.

“The CBI employed advanced investigative techniques to identify the perpetrators. Based on the leads generated during the investigation, the CBI conducted extensive searches recently across 12 locations in Moradabad and Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, Krishnanagar in West Bengal, Mumbai and Jaipur, leading to the arrest of four individuals involved in this highly organised crime syndicate,” the spokesperson said.

Bank account details, debit cards, chequebooks, deposit slips, and digital devices/evidence were seized during the searches.

The arrested persons have been remanded in CBI custody for five days.